VOLLEYBALL DUKES DROP CLOSE ONE AT GSU

Friday, October 28

Atlanta, Ga.

James Madison University

Georgia State

10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball

ATLANTA--Junior Christen Garcia became the fourth athlete in Georgia State history to earn 1,000 career digs, but it was senior Alex Blenche's 24 kills that stole the spotlight as the Lady Panther volleyball team defeated James Madison 3-0 (30-28, 33-31, 33-31) on Senior Night at the Sports Arena.

"Alex got hot and we just rode her to the win tonight," said Georgia State head coach Mike Webster.

In front of a large crowd of friends and family, the Lady Panthers got hot early, jumping out to a 17-8 lead. But as would be the story between the two teams throughout the night, James Madison came back. The lead would slowly be whittled away, but after a JMU hitting error, the Lady Panthers had game point, 29-23. The Dukes would fight off the first five, trimming the advantage to 29-28; however, the third ball handling error of the first game against the Dukes was called on the next point, giving State the win 30-28.

Blenche had five kills in the first game, making her 19 kills in the next two games all the more impressive. She started early with the first point of the second game to put State on top early. But JMU had momentum from the end of game one that carried over into game two, as the visitors built a 19-10 lead. But suddenly, State went on a 10-1 run. After a kill by freshman Michelle Trimble started the rally, JMU committed four consecutive attack errors, with two coming on blocks by Trimble and sophomore Ana Paula Ferreira. After another Trimble kill, JMU called time up 19-16.

A service error gave JMU the point off the next timeout, but State would take the next four to complete the run. A Blenche kill, a block by Trimble and Ferreira, and two JMU errors gave State a clean slate in the second game. After the teams traded points, State took the lead back when Blenche put home a kill to make it 24-23. State had game point at 29-27 after a ball handling error, but the Dukes came back with a 3-0 run to earn a game point of their own. JMU almost took the game, but a Blenche attack danced on the tape before falling in to even the score at 30-all. The teams traded points, with another Blenche kill helping State to fight off the second game point opportunity for JMU. After a third consecutive Blenche kill gave State game point, a block by Ferreira and senior Robyn van Dam gave State game two, 33-31.

JMU came out demoralized at the start of the thirdgame, as the Lady Panthers took the first seven points, three of which came on Mattos service aces. But as happened throughout the match, no lead was safe for either team. State had a 22-15 lead after a Mattos kill, but a 5-1 run for JMU made it 23-20. The teams traded points until a JMU block and a State hitting error made it 27-26. Eventually, a State hitting error gave JMU game point, up 29-28.

Again, the Lady Panthers rode the hot hand of Blenche. The senior's 22nd kill of the match helped State fight off one game point. JMU had another game point, but again, State fought it off, this time with a Mattos kill. State had game point after a JMU ball handling error, but a State hitting error evened the score at 31-all. But that would be the last point of the night for James Madison, as Blenche knocked home points 32 and 33 in the game on kills 23 and 24, giving State the 33-31 win in the game and a 3-0 match victory.

Blenche dominated the offensive production for Georgia State, with 24 of the Lady Panthers' 46 kills. She also had three total blocks (two solo) to give her 26.5 points for the evening. The 24 kills were also the most for the Lady Panthers in a three-game match since Vania Blake had 26 on