ATLANTA, GA – Queens volleyball capped off the first day of the GSU Invitational going 1-1, taking a win over the host Georgia State 3-1 before falling to Evansville 3-1 in the finale. With the split, the Royals improved to 4–2 overall, marking the best start to a season in their NCAA Division I program history.
Queens opened its day with a strong performance against host Georgia State, improving to 4–1 on the year. The Royals dominated the first set with a .314 hitting percentage. After dropping the second set, Queens bounced back in the third with a narrow 25–23 win before closing the door with authority in the fourth.
The Royals' offense was efficient, hitting .240 for the match with 48 kills. Emma Norris had a standout outing, tallying 13 kills without an error on 24 swings for a .542 hitting percentage while also adding four blocks. Mia McMillen and Ellis Sargent chipped in six and seven kills, respectively, while Callie DeSchryver contributed eight kills and eight digs.
Defensively, Queens was sharp with 65 digs and 14 team blocks. Camryn Teasley was a wall at the net, finishing with nine blocks, and Tilley Collins anchored the back row with 19 digs. Setters Tyler Peluso (24 assists) and Megan Kelly (12 assists) steered a balanced attack, while Elizabeth Layson added seven kills and four blocks.
The Royals sealed the match with a commanding 25–14 win in the fourth, limiting Georgia State to a .027 hitting mark in the frame.
In their second match of the day, Queens fell to Evansville in four sets to move to 4–2 overall. The Royals came out firing, though, taking the opening set 25–18 behind a .250 hitting percentage and steady serving.
However, Evansville responded, led by McKenzie Laubach's match-high 24 kills on .409 hitting. The Purple Aces grabbed the next three sets by consistent margins to finish the match.
Emma Norris once again paced the Royals offensively, recording 10 kills and six blocks. Callie DeSchryver added nine kills and nine digs, while Mia McMillen tallied six kills, 14 digs, and two aces. Collins led the defense with 20 digs, and Peluso dished out 14 assists with three aces.
At the net, Queens finished with 10 total blocks, highlighted by Teasley's four. Despite strong defensive numbers (73 digs as a team), the Royals couldn't slow Evansville's attack down the stretch.
UP NEXT
Next, the Royals will finish off the GSU Invitational against Florida A&M at 11 AM on Saturday, Sept. 6.
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