A return to the floor on Oct. 10 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center after 38
days without a home match proved to be exactly what the Rams needed.
The team downed Howard and then UNC Wilmington on Oct. 12, both
without dropping a game. But the run came to an end Saturday night when
the Rams fell to the Georgia State Panthers, 3-1.
After losing 3-1 Sept. 21 to the Panthers in Atlanta, the Rams appeared to
be headed for a different outcome in the rematch. They outlasted Georgia
State 30-25 in the first game by hitting .410, despite losing several lengthy
points.
Georgia State rallied back in the second game with a commanding 30-20
win. The Rams fell behind early, 16-8, and from that point on, they were
never able to close the gap to less than eight.
In the third game, the Panthers gained more momentum by controlling
the final points. Georgia State outscored VCU 14-4 at the end of the game
to come from behind and win, 30-25, with the help of service aces from
Audrey Cantrell and Emily Dewey.
The fourth and deciding game saw the teams scoring back and forth.
Georgia State forged the largest lead of the game at five, when Ana Paula
Ferreira and Noelle Boyd combined to block an attack from senior Erin
Burnette (Providence Forge/Troy State). The block gave the Panthers a
30-25 game victory and a 3-1 match victory.
Freshmen Ariel Newman (Greensboro, N.C./Southern Guilford) and
Jessica Ojukwu (Sao Paolo, Brazil/Colegio Dourado) totaled 29 kills and
14 digs to lead VCU.
Junior libero Laryssa Goncalves (Curitiba, Brazil/Colegio Dom Bosco)
added 19 digs, and junior Elisa Kuehnel (Dresden, Germany/Sportsgymnasium)
led the Rams with four blocks.
With the loss, VCU dropped to 6-14 overall and 3-4 in CAA play. Georgia
State improved its record to 13-10 and tied VCU in conference record.
The Rams travel to Washington, D.C., to face the Georgetown Hoyas in
their next match on Oct. 16.