The Sports Inquirer

Release from Georgia State Athletics:

ATLANTA – Georgia State pulled out a 3-1 win at home against UL Lafayette on Friday at the GSU Sports Arena, winning 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, and 27-25. The Panthers outhit ULL .280-.255 and had five players finish with nine or more kills.

Georgia State improves to 6-14 (4-7 SBC) while UL Lafayette drops to 15-9 (5-8). This is the second time the two teams have met this season. In both contests, the home team came away victorious as the Ragin’ Cajuns won 3-2 at Lafayette earlier this season. Junior Deidra Bohannon posted eight kills on .333 hitting in the final frame to seal the deal and send ULL home with a loss.

“Our defense helped our attackers get comfortable and gave them more opportunities to score and put together longer rallies,” junior Kitan Ajanaku said. “Eliza [Zachary] was consistent throughout the match and that really helped set up our other attackers and spread out the offense.”

Zachary and Bohannon led GSU on offense, but had help from several other players, including sophomore Kristina Stinson, senior Andrea Book and Ajanaku. Junior Natalia Nieto had another spectacular performance at setter, dishing out 50 assists in four sets.

Sally Polhamus praised her teams passing and serving after the match. “Our passing allowed us to set multiple people and they stepped up. Kristina [Stinson], Andrea [Book] both had great games,” Polhamus said. “In tough situations, they found ways to score.”

Junior Gabby Serafin finished the contest with 21 digs and the Panthers recorded 9 total team blocks. Nieto’s 50 assists moved her into sixth place on GSU’s all-time assists list. Nieto now has 2,237 assists for her career.

Georgia State raced out to a 6-2 lead in the first set, but the Ragin’ Cajuns rallied to take an 8-6 lead. After trailing by four, Georgia State made a comeback of their own to reclaim a two-point lead at 17-15, leading to a ULL timeout. Zachary fueled the final effort, finishing with six kills to lead the Panthers to a 25-22 win.

Riding the momentum, GSU led 5-2 to start Set 2, but the lead wouldn’t last as the Ragin’ Cajuns once again surged to retake the lead. The two sides traded points until ULL pulled away to take the set 25-21.

ULL led for most of Set 3. The Panthers tied that match at 13 and proceeded to take a 15-14 lead to force a ULL timeout. Georgia State kept its foot on the pedal after the break and went on to claim the set 25-21. Ajanaku and Book stepped up on defense for the Panthers in Set 3 as the duo combined for five of GSU’s six block assists.

With a 2-1 lead going into the fourth set, Georgia State kept the pressure on the Ragin’ Cajuns. ULL fought hard and never trailed by more than three points, but GSU was able to match ULL point for point and closed the door on any hopes for a ULL comeback.