Volleyball heads into CAA tournament

         The Georgia State volleyball team will advance to the Colonial Athletic Association tournament tied for the fourth seed as they finish their season 14-7 and 6-8 in the CAA.

         The Panthers lost to top-seeded Northeastern Friday night in five sets and defeated Hoftsra on Sunday 3-1 in the Senior Day game.

        Northeastern, who is tied for the top seed in the conference, took out the Panthers 25-23, 21-25, 16-25, 25-15 and 15-11.

The Huskies claimed the first set after being up 19-8 early, de- spite allowing the Panthers to come within two.

The Panthers then went on to claim the next two sets, going up 2-1 in the match. Vineece Verdun and Andrea Noe both recorded several crucial kills in the set, which overall led to a .522 attack percentage on the day.

         The Huskies then went on a roll and claimed the next two sets and eased into the victory at the Georgia State Sports Arena.

        Both teams traded kills throughout the fifth and final set, but ultimately Northeastern was able to beat Georgia State.

The Panthers redeemed them- selves with a win against Hostra in their final home match of the regular season in four sets 26-24, 18-25, 25-22 and 25-16.

       Seniors Verdun, Muki Kangwa, Chelsea Perry, Mirjam Pfyl and Nevena Peeva all contributed in the victory. Verdun and Kangwa each had 10 kills a piece on the day, their final home game of their collegiate careers.

With the win, the Panthers join James Madison and Virginia Commonwealth University in a tie for fourth place in the conference. This is the first postseason appearance for Georgia State since 2005.

        "It was great to be with my sisters one last time on my home court," Verdun told Georgia State Athletics. "I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to play with [this team] and for a great coach like Tami." Verdun was recently named Academic All-District.

        The Panthers came out strong and claimed the first two sets but in the third set allowed Hofstra to boast a win of its own.

Georgia State used a tenacious defense and a .500 attack percentage to finish out the fourth set to claim the match.

"We knew what the results were going to mean today, helping to get to a higher seed in the CAA tournament," head coach Tami Audia told Georgia State Athletics.

        Delaware, who has won three of past four CAA titles, nabbed the number one spot in the conference. The Blue Hens erased Northeastern from the tie for first by sweeping the Huskies in the regular season.

         Georgia State will play James Madison in the quarterfinals in Newark, Delaware on Barbara Viera Court on Nov. 18.