MOBILE, Ala. — The Georgia State volleyball team (0-2, 0-0 SBC) dropped a four-set decision to the Rice Owls (2-0, 0-0 AAC) on Saturday afternoon at Jaguar Gymnasium.
Julie Arias paced the Panthers offensively with a match-high 16 kills on a .364 clip, while Dariana Valencia anchored the back row with a team-high 13 digs.
How It Happened
SET 1 | Georgia State came out sharp, hitting .229 as a team while holding Rice to .105 on the night. The set featured five ties and five lead changes before the Panthers pulled away to take the opener, 25-20.
SET 2 | Rice answered behind a .348 hitting clip, building an early cushion and cruising to a 25-18 win to even the match.
SET 3 | Georgia State's offense stayed hot, hitting .303 as a team, and the two sides traded points throughout. The set was tied 19 times with seven lead changes, but the Owls closed on a stronger stretch to escape with a 25-23 win.
SET 4 | Rice hit .244 behind 17 kills to take control late, holding off the Panthers down the stretch to close out the match with a 25-22 win.
Game Notes
» Arias led all players in the match with 16 kills and also chipped in two service aces and four digs.
» Akira Burt added 13 kills for the Panthers, along with a team-high four total blocks.
» Annelore Engels dished out a team-high 35 assists to go with eight digs, two digs shy of a double-double.
» Jayden Eaker was Georgia State's top blocker in assists, finishing with seven block assists.
» Georgia State out-blocked Rice 13.0 to 7.0 for the match.
» Seven different Panthers recorded a kill on the afternoon.
Up Next
The Panthers close out the Jaguar Classic on Sunday, Aug. 30, where they will face host South Alabama at 4 p.m.
