Beach Volleyball 3/4/2023 8:28:00 PM

No. 10 Sandy Panthers Split at Tampa Invitational

TAMPA, Fla.— No. 10 ranked Georgia State beach volleyball wrapped the weekend at the Tampa Invitational on Saturday posting a split in competition, including victories over No. 11 Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast. Destiny White and Aliisa Vuorinen partnered at the fifth flight and charted a team-high three victories as a pair over the weekend.

GSU entered competition in Tampa with a pair of dual matches slated for Friday facing No. 6 Grand Canyon and No. 11 Stetson. The Sandy Panthers opened the tournament against sixth-ranked GCU and saw three-set victories at flights No. 2 and No. 5 with White and Vuorinen securing a 24-22, 18-21, 19-17 win at the fifth flight, and Kelly Dorn and Elise Saga downing opponents at the second flight, 21-18, 16-21, 15-5,

GSU battled GCU in a hard-fought outing, but fell short of clinching match point following narrow losses at the first, third and fourth flights. The team's second match on Friday saw the Sandys dual No. 11-ranked Stetson and post a strong 4-1 victory with wins at flights No. 1, No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5.

Sisters Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary notched a three-set win at the top flight facing Stetson, while White and Vuorinen charted a second win for GSU on Friday with a 21-13, 21-18 victory in straight sets. Maddy Delmonte and Ayla Johnson accounted for a straight-set victory at the fourth flight, and pair Yasmin Kuck and Lila Bordis charted a three-set victory at the third flight.

GSU returned on Saturday for day two of tournament competition with a meeting against No. 3 ranked TCU. Rematching TCU for the first time since downing the second-seeded Horned Frogs in the second round of the NCAA Championship in Gulf Shores last season, the Sandys saw a 5-0 defeat facing the foe.

GSU returned to action in Tampa with an afternoon matchup against Florida Gulf Coast to close tournament competition for the weekend. The Sandys posted straight-set wins on three courts and charted a 4-1 win facing the Eagles to finish with a 2-2 record as a team at the Tampa Invitational.

White and Vuorinen once again partnered at the fifth flight to notch a win in straight sets facing FGCU and finish with a 3-1 record for tournament play in Tampa over the weekend. The duo currently sits at 6-2 overall for the spring.

The pair of victories in Tampa marked 194 total wins for head coach Beth Van Fleet, now six shy of reaching 200 all-time victories. The Sandy Panthers' coach moves to third place among active collegiate beach volleyball coaches for NCAA wins with 162.

No. 10 GSU moves to 6-2 overall as a team for 2023.

GSU returns to Atlanta and prepares to host the annual Day of Duals at the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex on Wednesday, March 8. The single-day tournament will see the team welcome Sun Belt Conference foes No. 20 Coastal Carolina and Mercer, as well as No. 2 overall ranked Florida State.

The Sandy Panthers currently sit unbeaten when facing both SBC opponents Coastal Carolina and Mercer. GSU holds a 5-0 all-time record when facing the Sandy Chants, and has beaten Mercer in 14 consecutive outings.

GSU will look to secure victory against the second-ranked Seminoles for the first time since 2015.

More information leading up to the Day of Duals will be announced via the team's social media and on the web. Follow Georgia State beach volleyball on Instagram and Twitter (@GSUBeachVb) for complete coverage of the Sandy Panthers' 2023 campaign.

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