ATLANTA - Two Patriots recorded
double-doubles but the Georgia State Panthers were able to successfully defend
their home court, knocking off the George Mason women's volleyball team in
straight sets on Sunday afternoon at the GSU Sports Arena. Set scores were 25-13,
26-24, 25-13.
Mason dropped to 2-5 in Colonial Athletic Association play
and 4-16 overall, while the Panthers improved to 2-6 in conference and 4-16
overall, while also forcing a season split between the two teams after Mason's
win in Fairfax last month.
Junior Lana Zonjic paced the Patriot offense with 10 kills
and 10 digs, while classmate Tori Price contributed 23 assists and 11 digs
while also serving a match-high two aces. The Panthers, who out-hit the
Patriots by a .264-to.-024 margin and held a 11-4 blocking advantage, were led
by Dede Bohannon's 11 kills.
Mason's offense dropped into the red in the opening set,
hitting -.132 despite opening the match with a 6-1 run. The Panthers answered
with the same, tying the score at seven all. Mason responded with kills from
Lolade Owokoniran and Meredith Bush, but a string of nine consecutive points by
the Panthers effectively pushed the set out of reach. They would go on to lead
by as many as 13 points after an 8-0 run.
The second set stayed much closer throughout, with eight
ties and four lead changes. Mason's
largest lead came at the 16-13 mark, as a Bush kill punctuated an 8-2 Patriots
run. Georgia State swung the lead back to their side with a 6-1 run to make the
score 23-20, but four straight points by the Patriots gave them set point.
Unable to convert, instead the Panthers responded with three straight points to
take the second set.
It was another tight contest out of the intermission, with
the score tied at eight. A Zonjic kill put the Patriots on top for the third
time in the set, but five straight by GSU made the score 13-9. Mason would get
the margin down to three points at 15-12, but a run of four straight by the
Panthers kicked off what would be a match-ending 10-1 stretch of scoring.
The Patriots will continue their road trip next weekend,
visiting UNCW on Friday night before their road finale at William & Mary on
Sunday afternoon.
