Panthers from Way Downtown

The midfield crew is ten deep, however, seven of them are newcomers to the Panthers.  Senior Brook Nelson is the most experienced of the group with 2,804 minutes in 36 games.  Sophomore Sunniyah Tucker has 1,236 minutes across 19 games along with four goal contributions (two scored, two assisted), while classmate Abby Kilman has 1,115 minutes and an assist in 18 games. The newcomers to the roster are grad student Sienna Leckey , junior Himari Sato , sophomore Jessica Fidhi and freshmen Alba Zaccagnino , Haley Pazahanick , Nora Donaldson and Carys Fraser . 

Junior Therese Brink is the most experienced member of the group- she has 3,053 minutes in 37 games. Sophomore Mackenzie Fitzgerald has logged 710 minutes in 13 games while classmate Briana Hill has 607 minutes, also in 13 games.  Redshirt freshmen Avreigh Rutledge and Elise Nystrom have not yet appeared for the Panthers. The two newcomers are freshmen Lily Sawyer and Adriana Arrasate .   

The goalie room is interesting for the women this year, as only one has appeared for the Panthers previously and one has collegiate experience outside of Atlanta.  Redshirt sophomore Ariana Anderson appeared in ten games in 2023 for the Panthers with two starts, totaling 540 minutes and adding thirteen saves, but didn't appear in any games last year. Redshirt freshman Cecilia Smith didn't appear in any games last year. Sophomore Alondra Iriarte , meanwhile, comes to Atlanta from Green Bay.   

The right-side hitter group is again interesting, as two of the three are newcomers to the Panthers but not collegiate volleyball- redshirt sophomore Jayden Eaker is from Scottsdale Community College and grad student Maria Martins de Pinho is from (best I can figure out) Florida Southwestern and then Lynn University. Akira Burt , now a junior, is entering her third season on the Panthers. Her 52 games and 180 sets is now most among active players, and she also has 457 points.  

The outside hitter group is an interesting one, as two have collegiate indoor experience and one has collegiate beach experience but only one is a returner from last year's indoor squad. Ayse Guvener is an incoming senior after spending the previous three seasons at Northern Illinois, while Courtney Smith - another senior- switches to the indoor team after forty appearances for the Sandy Panthers over three seasons (27 scoring and 13 exhibition) and Marla Valentin is an incoming freshman. As for Alessia Cappai , she has picked up starts in all twenty-nine of her appearances for Georgia State and has 323 points with 281 kills, 18 service aces, 5 solo blocks, 262 digs and 38 block assists.

Grad student Myllena Torquetti has appeared in 105 sets across 30 matches with 24 starts for the Panther volleyball team and has 31 appearances total- she also appeared in a three-set sixth-flight victory March 1 against Cal State-Bakersfield for the Sandy Panthers. On the court, she has 221 points, 153 kills, 13 assists, 89 digs, 94 total blocks with 18 solo and 76 assisted and 16 service aces.   Sophomore Kamryn Itzen has appeared in 61 sets across 27 matches with 10 starts for the Panthers, totaling 82 points and 54 kills in addition to 9 solo blocks and 38 block assists.  Freshmen Diana Sopok and Rayne Williams are the newcomers. 

Of the three setters on the roster, only one has appeared for the team previously. Senior Shanelle Martinez is the most experienced on the roster, and she will be joined by incoming freshmen Emily Harden and Ava Casey . Martinez appeared in all thirty matches last year with 22 starts, totaling 118 sets and 646 assists. Her 46 points were split between 26 kills and 20 aces. 

The libero position is going to be very interesting this year, as the two on the roster haven't appeared in any games for Georgia State thus far.  Marta Lazzarin is an incoming freshman from Venice, Italy while Hady Pickard is a returning redshirt freshman. 

With Patrycja Zielinska off to the pro ranks, the setters that are still on the roster are Alyssa Cadavid , who's a rising sophomore, and Shanelle Martinez , who's a rising senior (the 2025 roster hasn't been uploaded yet).  Shanelle, who's the likely starter for 2025, appeared in all thirty matches in her debut season in 2024, picking up twenty-two starts. In addition to a team-leading 646 assists, she tallied 46 points off 26 kills and 20 services aces.   Alyssa appeared in one match totaling two sets, dishing out three assists.  

Setter Patrycja Zielinska has signed to go pro with a team in Switzerland.  In her lone season with Georgia State this past year as a grad student, she appeared in thirty matches, and her 117 sets was runner-up on the team, behind only the 118 sets for Shanelle Martinez. Her 546 assists was the second-most on the team in 2024 and her 35 aces was also second (she finished with 41.5 points).