Jonesboro, AR – (Contributed) – September 28, 2024 – Another dominant defensive performance, combined with a balanced attack, propelled the Arkansas State to an unbeaten start to Sun Belt Conference play with a 3-1 (20-25, 25-8, 25-15, 25-20) victory over Georgia State Saturday inside First National Bank Arena.
A-State (12-2, 2-0 SBC) moved to 2-0 in league play for the first time since 2018, holding the Panthers (9-5, 0-2) to just .044 hitting while registering 11 blocks. The Red Wolves, which hit. 236 and served nine aces on the day, had three players with double-digit kills, led by Kaitlin Whitlock’s 12 kills and a team-high 19 digs – matching her career high.
Grace Wiley hit .381 with 10 kills and just two errors, while Devyn Lewis also tallied 10 kills with a .259 clip. Daedrianna Cail and Addison Collum added seven kills apiece to aid in the attack. Valeria Ortiz tied her career high with 26 assists, while Erin Madigan doled out 17 to go along with 14 digs.
Defensively, Cail recorded six blocks (one solo), while Wiley had four. Whitlock tallied three blocks, including two solos, and Lewis had a pair. Both Collum and Haley Glunz each had a block on the day. Sarah Martinez also had double-digit digs, collecting 14.
Georgia State claimed an early 5-2 lead in the opening set before A-State scratched back to lead 14-11 following a block by Glunz and Wiley. The Panthers then answered with four straight aces as part of a 5-0 run, which Whitlock snapped with a kill. The Red Wolves would not overcome the deficit, though, as GSU held on for the 25-20 win in the first frame.
A-State came out with fire in the second set, scoring the first nine points of the stanza. The Red Wolves continued pouring on the points, pushing the lead out to 23-7 on an ace by Libby Gee-Weiler. Cail then clinched the 25-8 set victory with a kill to even the contest.
The Panthers owned an early lead in the third set, but Wiley sparked a go-ahead 4-0 run with a kill. After GSU sided out with a kill by Keionna Mackey, A-State took seven of the next eight points to widen the gap to 18-11, with an ace by Gee-Weiler forcing a timeout. Georgia State pulled within five, but the Red Wolves clinched the set by winning seven of the final nine points to lead 2-1 in the match.
After A-State took the first two points of the fourth set, the Panthers rallied to lead 3-2 on a kill by Mackey. The Red Wolves later answered a Mackey ace with a four-point run that gave them the lead for good despite GSU pulling within one. The Scarlet and Black won the race to 20 before the visitors pulled back within four. A-State continued to answer down the stretch, clinching the win on a Lewis kill.
NEXT UP
The Red Wolves continue Sun Belt Conference play on the road next week, traveling to Southern Miss. First serve against the Golden Eagles is set for 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Oct. 3-4, with both matches broadcasted live on ESPN Plus.