The Georgia State beach volleyball team split their matches at the Day of Duals Tuesday, finishing 1-1. Head coach Beth Van Fleet was happy with what she saw from her team on the sand.
“I was really proud of how we fought,” Van Fleet said.
The results have kept the No. 18 Panthers four games above .500, with their record now standing at 9-5 on the season.
No. 2 USC, L, 4-1
Georgia State went toe-to-toe with the No. 2 ranked USC Trojans but fell by a score of 4-1. The loss ended the team’s four game win streak.
The afternoon started out perfectly for the Panthers on court two. Becky Tresham and Maddie Gordon played out an intense back-and-forth first set, winning 21-18. The pair followed up their first set victory with a dominant 21-13 second set triumph to clinch the match.
On court one, Kelly Dorn and Ashley McGinn looked lively in their first set, winning 21-15. They would drop a hard-fought second set 21-19, before losing the all-important third 15-11. The match tied the score 1-1.
Georgia Johnson and Eden Hawes struggled in their matchup against the All-American pair of Abril Bustamante and Tina Graudina on court one. The Trojans made quick work of Johnson and Hawes, winning 21-12 and 21-8 to give Southern California a commanding 2-1 lead.
Shortly after, Olivia Stasevich and Maddy Delmonte would fall on court two, while Kate Novak and Brooke Weiner were swept on court three to give the Trojans their 4-1 victory.
“The first thing is we did compete very closely with them,” Van Fleet said. “We have a very young team, and I think we continued to prove to ourselves that we have no idea what we are capable of.”
Florida Gulf Coast, W, 5-0
The Panthers were out to rebound from their crushing defeat to USC and largely succeeded.
This time, it would be Dorn and McGinn who struck first blood. The pair recorded impressive 21-14 and 21-12 victories on court two to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
Tresham and Gordon followed suit by sweeping their opponents for the second time on Tuesday. The pair’s 21-15 and 21-13 masterclass put Georgia State in position to clinch the win.
“They have been working really hard,” Van Fleet said. “I think their chemistry and understanding of each other’s needs is fantastic to see.”
Stasevich and Delmonte sealed the victory for Georgia State with a 21-15, 21-17 victory back on court two. Shortly after, Johnson and Hawes recorded a stellar bounce back performance to win 21-16, 21-16 on court one.
Kate Novak and Brooke Weiner won a marathon 2-1 to close the 5-0 sweep for the Panthers.
Next up for Georgia State is a road trip to Columbia, South Carolina to take part in the Gamecock Grand Slam Tournament this weekend.
