ATLANTA - After defeating Troy, and earning its first conference win of the 2021 campaign, Georgia State will return home this weekend to host Arkansas State (Oct. 22) and Little Rock (Oct. 23) at GSU Sports Arena.

Georgia State (4-14, 1-7 Sun Belt) picked up its first road win of the 2021 campaign with the victory against Troy last Saturday. 

PANTHER QUICK HITS

• With the victory over Troy, Georgia State snapped an eight match losing streak dating back to the month of September.   
• Georgia State ranks second in the Sun Belt in total blocks with 175.5.
• Evoni Lemons was tabbed GSU Student-Athlete of the Week after leading the Panthers to the win over Troy.
• Lemons tallied 23 kills over two matches against South Alabama and Troy last weekend, including a stellar 10 kill performance against the Trojans that gave the Panthers their first Sun Belt victory of the 2021 campaign. She has now notched double-digit kills in three consecutive matches, including a season/career high 19 kill performance against Georgia Southern.
• Senior Meisheia Griffin currently ranks sixth in the Sun Belt with a .290 hitting percentage. 
• Ava Vlkovic has held down the Panther back row this season as she has 263 digs on the year.

(South Alabama) 

• In the contest against South Alabama, Georgia State dropped the first two sets, before battling back to take sets three and four.
• South Alabama regained the momentum and took set five to win the match. 
• Offensively, the Panthers were led by Lemons who tallied 13 kills for the contest.
• The Georgia State back row was held down by Vlkovic who notched 21 digs. Friday's match marked the fifth time this season that Vlkovic tallied 20+ digs. 
• South Alabama won the match, 3-2. 

(Troy)

• Against Troy, the Panthers were led by Julianna Truscott who tallied 10 kills while hitting .304 for the contest. Lemons continued her stellar play as the talented freshman also registered 10 kills while adding seven digs.
• Setters Jenna Brown and Claire Lewis both put together strong performances as they each notched 17 assists. Lewis had a major impact on the Panthers offensive attack as she tallied five kills from the setter position. 
• Georgia State defeated Troy, 3-1.

THE MATCHUPS 

• Georgia State will face Arkansas State for the 12th time in program history Friday. The Panthers own a 1-10 mark all-time against the Red Wolves. 
• The Panthers will also face Little Rock this weekend, marking the 12th time that the teams have faced off. Georgia State owns a 2-9 record against the Trojans. Little Rock has won the past two matchups.

SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES

• Arkansas State enters the weekend 13-8 and 4-5 in the Sun Belt. The Red Wolves dropped consecutive matches to Texas State and UT Arlington last weekend. 
• As a team, Arkansas State leads the Sun Belt in total digs, digs per set, assists, attacks per set, total attacks, kills and total blocks. 

SCOUTING THE TROJANS

• Little Rock owns an 11-10 record, including a 2-7 mark in Sun Belt play. The Trojans have dropped three consecutive matches. Last weekend, the Trojans fell to Texas State and UT Arlington. 
• Laura Jansen currently ranks second in the Sun Belt in kills with 301. 

NEXT UP
After facing Arkansas State and Little Rock this weekend, the Panthers will remain in Atlanta to host UT Arlington (Oct. 29) and Texas State (Oct. 30) next weekend.   

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