By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - With the first half of the Atlantic Sun Conference season in the rear view mirror, the Kennesaw State volleyball team will start the second half of the A-Sun's double round robin tonight when the Owls travel down Interstate 75 to face to Mercer. Match time at Mercer's University Center is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Owls (9-8, 4-6) enter the contest alone in seventh place in the A-Sun, one loss behind East Tennessee State for sixth place. In the A-Sun opener for both schools on Sept. 8, the Owls came away with a 3-1 victory over the Bears at the KSU Convocation Center.
Asjia Stokes had a match-high 17 kills to go with 12 digs, while
Sabrita Gulley had 15 kills and 15 digs for her own double-double.
Chelsey Denesha tied the school record for digs with 23 in the match against Mercer.
The Bears (5-13, 3-7) rolled to a 25-18 win in the first set of the match at KSU earlier this year before the Owls came back to take the next three sets, including a 26-24 win in the finale. Amiee Frutchey had 29 digs on Sept. 8 for the Bears, while Krista Hurley led the Bears' attack with 13 kills.
Both KSU and Mercer were in Florida last weekend to face Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson. The teams had similar results, with KSU defeating Stetson on Thursday and Mercer topping the Hatters on Saturday. Both the Owls and the Bears fell to Florida Gulf Coast, with Mercer losing Thursday and KSU falling Saturday.
The Owls have a chance to see some milestones reached during this week. KSU libero Selina O'Leary enters the week with 958 career digs. KSU's career record holder in digs, the senior needs just 42 to reach the 1,000-dig plateau. Denesha has 380 kills and 379 digs for the Owls since arriving last year for her junior season, putting her within reach of the 400 mark in each of those categories.
Following Tuesday's match, KSU will return home for weekend contests against Belmont and Lipscomb. The Owls will face Lipscomb this Friday at 7 p.m., with the Bruins of Belmont visiting on Saturday a 3 p.m. Saturday's match will be KSU's annual "Dig for the Cure" match to help support the cause of breast cancer awareness.
