CONWAY, S.C. – Emma Van Elslande led the Coastal Carolina volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-18) sweep over the Georgia State Panthers at the HTC Center in Conway, S.C., on Friday evening in Sun Belt Conference action.
 
Coastal (7-9, 3-2 SBC) saw Van Elslande reach a new career high with 11 kills, while Jalyn Stout and Lauren Malone added eight put-downs each as the Chanticleers recorded their 20th consecutive win over the Panthers. Agata Lesiak had seven kills and Cagla Bengi had a team-high 17 assists with Stout adding 13 helpers.
 
Defensively, CCU totaled eight blocks as Dilara Unal and Lesiak stopped five kill attempts each, and Malone and Valentina Varani blocked two shots apiece at the net. Stout tallied 13 digs to record her fourth double-double with Sydney Lewis adding nine digs.
 
Georgia State was led by Peyton Gash, who had 13 kills, while Akira Burt and Keionna Mackey tallied seven and six spikes, respectively. Shanelle Martinez finished with a match-high 18 assists with Patrycja Zielinska adding 12 helpers.
 
The Panthers stopped two kill attempts with Mackey making two stops as Myllena Torquetti and Kayla Broom tallied one block each, while Kaleigh Fitzgerald (14) and Martinez (11) had double-digit digs.
 
In the first set, the two teams traded the first eight rallies with the score remaining deadlocked at 4-4 before GSU opened an 8-5 advantage with a 4-1 spurt. The Chanticleers answered with a 5-2 surge to even the score at 10-10, highlighted by a pair of kills by Stout.
 
A second 4-1 run allowed Georgia State to retake the lead at 14-11, only to see CCU respond with a 3-1 burst to cut the deficit to 15-14. The Panthers opened a three-point advantage at 20-17 by outscoring the hosts 5-3 over the next eight points before the Chants scored four straight points to take a 21-20 lead, ignited by a Van Elslande kill and capped by Unal and Lesiak teaming up for a block at the net. After a quick GSU point, Coastal closed out the opening set with a 4-1 spurt to take a 1-0 match lead with a 25-22 win.
 
The two teams traded the first 12 points of set two with the score remaining even at 6-6 before a 6-1 run by CCU increased the lead to 13-7, which included a pair of service aces by Unal. A 4-2 surge by the visitors from Atlanta cut the Chanticleer lead to 15-12 before trading the next four rallies, only to see Coastal open its lead to 20-14 with a 3-0 run on kills by Van Elslande, Malone, and Lesiak. The Panthers used a 6-2 burst to cut the CCU lead to 23-21 before Stout put down back-to-back kills to give the Chants a 2-0 lead with the 25-21 second-set victory.
 
In the final set, Georgia State opened a 5-3 lead, but the Chanticleers scored four straight points to take a 7-5 advantage. The Panthers evened the set at 8-8 with a 3-1 surge before the two teams traded the next four points. CCU retook the lead at 14-11 with a 4-1 run, highlighted by two Stout kills.
 
GSU narrowed the gap to 15-14 before Coastal added to its lead at 18-14 with a 3-0 spurt, that included a service ace by Van Elslande. The Chanticleers' four-point lead held at 21-17 as the two teams traded the next six rallies before a 4-1 CCU burst finished the sweep with a 25-18 third-set win.
 
Coastal Carolina will return to action in Conway, S.C., against Georgia State on Saturday, Oct. 12. The opening serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET.
 
For complete coverage of CCU women's 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.