What you need to know:
* Georgia State asserted its dominance versus North Carolina Central and won in straight sets: 25-20, 25-11 and 25-19 on Saturday.
* The Panthers bounced back from a tough loss last night against JMU to take two of three matches in the JMU Invitational and improve to a winning record of 2-1 on the season.
* Anna Rantala and Celeste Friesen were named to the JMU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
* GSU will be back in action Friday, Sept. 2 versus William & Mary in the Bruiser Showcase in Nashville, Tenn.
HARRISONBURG, Va. – Georgia State bounced back from a tough loss Friday night against James Madison with a dominating performance versus North Carolina Central on Saturday. The Panthers defeated the Eagles in straight sets and relied on veterans Eliza Zachary and Kristina Stinson as well as underclassmen Anna Rantala and Morgan Hash to set the tone of the match.
Match 3: GSU 3, North Carolina Central 0
After a disappointing loss at the hands of JMU last night, Georgia State came out aggressively and established its tempo early in the match. Head coach Sally Polhamus was pleased with her team's play and character throughout the tournament.
"We battled hard all weekend long. We navigated the ups and downs, and to come away with two wins is great. We took great strides in our play and we can't wait to get back to work next week," Polhamus said.
Early in the match, Sarah Renner's ace gave the Panthers an 8-6 lead, but the Eagles used their size to frustrate GSU early on. Anna Rantala and Kristina Stinson were pivotal in attack, setting the stage for Celeste Friesen's ace that made it 14-11 Panthers.
The Eagles stayed within arm's reach of the Panthers throughout the first set and came within one at 21-20 on Jazmine Daye's block. The Panthers' response to the Eagles' run was crucial. Anna Rantala and Morgan Hash's kills helped give GSU the set at 25-20. The team picked up right where it left off in the first with Stinson continuing the relentless attack. The Panthers jumped out to a 11-3 lead after Stinson's fifth kill and another Renner ace.
Georgia State used stellar defensive play to control the match from the opening serve. The Panthers took it to the Eagles with an aggressive attacking style that featured Eliza Zachary as well as Hash and Renner. Leading 18-8, GSU kept its foot on the gas with Stinson registering her seventh kill to make it 23-11. One point later, Stinson's kill from Kaitlyn Dachs gave the Panthers a 2-0 set lead with a 25-11 score.
GSU got off to a little bit of a slow start in the third set, but Rantala and Hash continued to attack to keep the Panthers close at 5-3. Paige Phillips' kill made it 8-4 Eagles before Georgia State went on a 5-1 run to tie things up at nine apiece. Rantala and Stinson's kills gave the team an 11-10 lead that it did not surrender for the rest of the set. Hash's sixth kill gave the Panthers a commanding 17-13 lead.
From there, the Eagles battled but it was the Panthers that took the set and match with a 25-19 win. Renner's 29 assists and Friesen's 10 digs also headlined a solid performance to close out the JMU Invitational.
GSU is back in action Friday in Nashville for the Bruiser Showcase.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB) for the latest news.
