MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – College of Charleston opened up with a 2-0 lead after the fourth and fifth flights and took a victory in the second flight to clinch a 3-2 victory over Georgia State in the final day of the CofC Sand Tournament at Creekside Courts in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The dual meet victory puts the Cougars at 2-1 after the opening weekend, as CofC defeated Mercer (4-1) and lost to UAB (1-4).
“I was really pleased with our efforts to defeat a very talented Georgia State squad,” head coach Jason Kepner said. “We battled the elements all weekend, and I think that this tournament was a great start to our season.”
The Cougars started the match with a straight-set win from the fifth flight duo of Emily Shelton and Catey Warren, who defeated GSU's Nikki Senopoulos and Kaitlynn Hufstetter by scores of 21-12 and 21-16. Warren had 10 kills in each set to go with five total blocks, while Shelton finished with 12 digs.
The fourth flight of Sloane White and Taeler Davis battled hard for a key victory that put the Cougars up 2-0 at the switch. Charleston won the first set, 21-17, and nearly came back to win the second with a 4-1 rally at 20-18, but GSU forced a third set by eventually winning 25-23. White pushed the Cougars over the hump with six kills in the final frame to win 15-8. She totaled 26 kills in the match and a big block. Davis had 14 digs and an ace as she continually set up White for big kills.
College of Charleston clinched the dual with a strong performance from Andi Zbojniewicz and Darcy Dorton in the two flight. The duo won two close sets (21-19, 21-17) to take the victory over GSU's Jansen Bulton and Sara Olivova. Dorton had 10 kills and three blocks in the two sets, while Zbojniewicz contributed 11 digs and seven kills.
The Cougars fought hard in the top flight with GSU taking the first set by a margin of 22-20 over Melissa Morello and Lizzie Theesfeld. However, the Panthers won the second set handily, 21-12. Theesfeld had 13 kills and Morello registered 10.
Kelly Kolich and Emily Neideffer fought hard in the third flight, coming within points of forcing a third set as they lost, 21-18 and 22-20. Kolich had 17 digs and Neideffer had 14, as both players tallied 11 kills each.
The Cougars will travel to Jacksonville, Fla., next weekend for duals against UAB, Stetson and Jacksonville.
