In the team’s fifth conference play match, Georgia State volleyball fell in five sets to the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns as its record dropped to 3-11 on the season and 1-4 in the Sun Belt.
Set 1
Georgia State trailed the Cajuns 8-4 as the match commenced. The Panthers cut their deficit to one at 10-9 as Deidra Bohannon had three kills up to this point in the match. The set was later tied at 13 apiece.
Georgia State assumed a 17-16 advantage as Eliza Zachary also had three kills at this point. With the score tied at 23, a timeout was called by Panthers coach Sally
Polhamus. Louisiana-Lafayette would prevail in the first set 25-23. The Cajuns’ Kaylee Nemeth led her team with four kills.
Set 2
Frame number two began with Georgia State leads of 6-4, 9-5, and 15-8 before a 5-0 run courtesy of Louisiana-Lafayette brought the Cajuns within two at 15-13.
A kill from Zachary halted the run as the Panthers went back ahead by four at 18-14. The Cajuns’ Keely Hayes was responsible for an ace, allowing for a one point game at 19-18 as well as another timeout from Polhamus.
Louisiana-Lafayette eventually would go on to take the second set 28-26.
Nemeth led the Cajuns with nine kills. Abby Filce had seven and Sara Mossakowski had five kills. Bohannon and Zachary each were in double digits for Georgia State.
Set 3
Louisiana-Lafayette began the third set ahead 7-5. The Panthers deficit became one at 12-11 on the back of Zachary’s 12th kill for the match. The match was tied at 12 on Bohannon’s 14th for the match. Cajuns coach Heather Mazeitis-Fontenot called for time as the Panthers went in front 17-15 before a block from Mossakowski and Chanelle Gardner made the score 19-18 Panthers.
A fourth kill from Stinson made it 20-18 Georgia State. A Panthers block made the score 23-22 before kills from Filce brought her team to a 24-23 lead. But Georgia State ended the third set with a 3-0 run facing match point from the Cajuns to win 26-24.
Set 4
Georgia State would go up 10-9 in the fourth period before Louisiana-Lafayette pulled ahead to a 17-14 advantage. At this point, Filce and Nemeth had 14 kills each.
Bohannon earned her 20th kill with the Panthers down 20-19. Zachary also reached the same number as Georgia State regained the lead at 23-22. A 25-23 victory for the Panthers sent this one to a fifth and deciding frame.
Set 5
Louisiana-Lafayette had leads of 8-7 and 10-8, the latter of which prompted a timeout from Polhamus. They called another as they once again faced match point. The Cajuns would win 17-15 to take the set and the match.
Nemeth, Filce, and Mossakowski each finished with double-digit kills. Two Louisiana-Lafayette also ended the match with double-digit digs.
For the Panthers, Bohannon and Zachary had 25 and 22 kills, respectively. Bohannon, Gabby Serafin, and Sydney Mauer also each finished with double-digit dig numbers.
The Panthers will hit the court again Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Sports Arena as they face off against South Alabama.
