ATLANTA, Ga. – Coastal Carolina earned a five-set victory (25-21, 22-25, 25-20, 24-26, 15-8) on Saturday night to remain in a tie for first place in the Sun Belt East Division as it defeated Georgia State (3-11, 0-4 SBC) at the GSU Sports Arena.
 
The Chanticleers improved to 10-4 overall and 4-0 in the league this season as Cheyenne Jones led CCU with a team-high 12 kills. It was the third time this season the graduate transfer achieved that mark.
 
Neither team could get into an offensive rhythm in the match, with both teams hitting below .170. However, the Chanticleers held the advantage on the night, .167 to .073.
 
Graduate transfer Doris Carter and junior Brigitta Petrenko helped the Chanticleers win their fourth straight with their third double-doubles this season. Carter added 11 kills and 13 digs, while Petrenko pitched in with a match-high 37 assists and 12 digs.
 
The Chanticleers used a 5-1 run early in set one to give themselves a cushion of eight points at 16-8. The junior setter Petrenko moved to eighth all-time on CCU's all-time assists list with 2,072 in the 25-21 victory. The Eger, Hungary native, quarterbacked CCU with six assists in the set, while super senior Ani Bozdeva had a team-high four kills. CCU's defense kept the Panthers' offense to a .132 hitting percentage in part to 19 first-set digs.
 
Coastal Carolina played from behind for most of the second set as the Chants started with four attack errors to fall behind early, 5-0. However, the teal and bronze got themselves back into the set as it used a 7-0 run with the help of kills from Carter, Bozdeva, Jasmine Rivest, and Madison Lowery. Both teams traded jabs, but the Panthers were able to pull off the 25-22 win. Ryan Spicer-Gordon led Georgia State with three kills in the set.
 
Coastal edged out GSU in the third set, 25-20, with the help of six team blocks. Individually, Nyla Shepherd (5) and Lowery (4) combined for nine blocks. The Chanticleers hit .350 as a team while holding the Panthers to .079 in the set. Jones and Carter had three kills apiece in the third set to lead CCU to the 25-20 win.
 
Though Coastal Carolina tallied three service aces to the Panthers' one, both teams had five team blocks in the fourth set, but Georgia State extended the match to a fifth set, winning 26-24.
 
CCU earned the fifth-set win, 15-8, behind the efforts of Bozdeva. In the final stanza, the super senior had five of her 10 kills to even the Chanticleers' record to 1-1 in five-set matches this season. No other Chant player had more than two kills in the final set.
 
Chants' libero Lina Perugini added 23 digs in the five-set win, marking the seventh time she has achieved the 20-dig barrier this season.
 
Bozdeva continued her consistent presence offensively as it marked the 10th time this season she has reached at least 10 kills in a match.
 
The redshirt sophomore Rivest earned a career-high nine kills. Lowery also had her best match of the season with six kills.
 
Erin Wyatt led the Panthers with a match-high 13 kills, while Ava Vikovic had a team-high 18 assists in the loss.
 
The Chants return home next weekend with matches against Troy on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m. ET and South Alabama on Oct. 10 at noon ET at the HTC Center. Both matches will be available on ESPN+.
 
 For complete coverage of CCU volleyball, follow the Chants on social media @CoastalVball (Twitter), facebook.com/CCUChanticleers (Facebook), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina Athletics at www.GoCCUsports.com.