ATLANTA – The Georgia State volleyball team opened the first day of the GSU Invitational with a split on Friday at GSU Sports Arena, falling to the Queens Royals (4-2, ASUN 0-0) in four sets before bouncing back with a sweep over the Florida A&M Rattlers (1-5, SWAC 0-0). The non-conference results moved the Panthers to 4-1 overall on the season. 

Match 1: Georgia State 1, Queens 3 

Set 1 | Georgia State faced an uphill battle in the opening frame, falling 25-18. The Panthers found themselves trailing early and couldn't close the gap, as Queens maintained control throughout the set. 

Set 2 | The Panthers answered back in the second set, evening the match with a 25-18 win. Georgia State stayed within striking distance before pulling ahead for good at 17-16. The frame featured two lead changes, but the Panthers' late push secured the set. 

Set 3 | Queens regained momentum in a tightly contested third set, edging out Georgia State 25-23. The set that was knotted up four times before the Royals pulled away late, taking the 2-1 match lead. 

Set 4 | The Royals closed out the match with a 25-14 victory in the fourth set. Georgia State kept it close early, but Queens took the lead at 6-5 and extended the margin the rest of the way to finish the match. 

Game Notes 

• Georgia State had four players in double figures in digs. 
• Shanelle Martinez tied her season-high of three aces. 
• Nazli Guvener registered a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs 
• Akira Burt had a team-high 12 kills for Georgia State. 
• Georgia State got a team-high 14 digs from Shanelle Martinez. 
• Georgia State attackers were helped by a team-high 16 assists from Shanelle Martinez. 

Match 2: Georgia State 3, FAMU 0 

Set 1 | Georgia State seized momentum early, taking the lead at 6-5 and never looking back on the way to a 25-18 win. The Panthers stretched the margin to as many as eight points at 24-16 before finishing off the opening frame. 

Set 2 | The Panthers kept their foot on the gas in set two, pulling away for a 25-16 victory and a commanding 2-0 match lead. After two early lead changes, Georgia State secured control at 11-10 and never looked back, holding FAMU in check the rest of the way. 

Set 3 | Georgia State left no doubt in the decisive frame, racing out to a 13-3 advantage and cruising to a 25-16 win to complete the sweep. The Panthers' offense caught fire with five aces in the set, while the front line turned away four Rattler attacks to cap off a dominant effort. 

Game Notes 

• Shanelle Martinez led from the service line with a match-high four aces. 
• Akira Burt controlled the net, posting a match-high six blocks. 
• Georgia State never trailed in the third set, closing it out 25-16. 
• The Panthers tallied five aces in the third-set win. 
• Alessia Cappai smashed a new season-high of 10 kills. 
• Marta Lazzarin anchored the defense with a match-high 22 digs. 

Up Next  
The Panthers return to the court Saturday for day two of the GSU Invitational, facing the Evansville Aces at 2 p.m. in the GSU Sports Arena.