Beach Volleyball 4/1/2023 10:20:00 PM

No. 11 Sandy Panthers Fall Short Facing Four Top-10 Opponents at Manhattan Beach

MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.— Traveling for the East Meets West Invitational in Manahattan Beach, California, the No. 11 ranked Georgia State beach volleyball team saw defeat facing top-10 foes No. 7 LMU, No. 8 Hawaii, No. 3 USC and hosting No. 2 UCLA this weekend. Despite falling short in each dual, the weekend of competition was highlighted by back-to-back victories by sisters Angel Ferary and Bella Ferary at the first flight, as the duo downed the top pairs from No. 2 UCLA and No. 3 USC on Saturday.

Competing at the first flight for the Sandy Panthers, the Ferary pair entered the weekend at Manhattan Beach having earned Sun Belt Conference Pair of the Week honors a week prior. The sisters charted a 3-0 record that included a match-clinching win in three sets facing host and No. 16-ranked South Carolina.

The pair notched three-set wins over the second-ranked Bruins and third-ranked Trojans for the second day of tournament play to finish with a 2-2 mark on the weekend. Third-flight pair Yasmin Kuck and Lila Bordis would also account for a win in straight sets facing UCLA, as the team closed the weekend in California with a narrow 3-2 defeat facing the hosts.

No. 11 GSU opened the dual match tournament on Friday with matchups against No. 7-ranked LMU and No. 8-ranked Hawaii.

The team battled each opponent to a 4-1 decision, with Ayla Johnson and Maddy Delmonte securing a straight-set win over the No. 8-ranked Rainbow Wahine at the fifth flight. Elise Saga and Kelly Dorn secured victory at the second flight with a win in straight sets facing the No. 7 Lions.

The Sandy Panthers return to Atlanta this weekend for the team's second home tournament outing of the spring. GSU will host the annual Diggin' Duals at the GSU Beach Volleyball Complex on April 7-8.

The team welcomes a pair of ranked opponents in No. 15 South Carolina and No. 17 Stetson, as well as UAB and UT Martin.

More information leading up to this weekend's tournament in Atlanta will be released later in the week. Follow Georgia State beach volleyball on Twitter and Instagram (@GSUBeachVb) for continued updates and complete coverage of the team's 2023 spring campaign.

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