By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Sitting at 1-1 in conference play, the Kennesaw State volleyball team will try to improve its standing in the Atlantic Sun Conference as it hosts a pair of A-Sun matches this weekend. The Owls will face Jacksonville this Friday at 7 p.m. and North Florida at 3 p.m. Saturday, with Saturday's match being the annual "Dig Pink" match for KSU.
"We're ready for two big A-Sun matches," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Both Jacksonville and North Florida will provide two tough tests for us. With this being our only home conference weekend of October, we're also excited to have our 'Dig Pink' match Saturday with UNF, and we hope that we are able to raise awareness towards the battle against breast cancer."
The Owls (8-9, 1-1 A-Sun) will be facing a Jacksonville team that they have never defeated in program history. In fact, last season's match in Kennesaw on October 3 was the first time the Owls have ever taken a set from the Dolphins. The, 25-17, win in the first set of that match was the only set the Owls have taken from the Dolphins in 19 sets played.
That being said, this is a stronger KSU team than ever before. In the first RPI rankings published by the NCAA, the Owls rank third in the A-Sun ahead of Jacksonville and perennial powers like Florida Gulf Coast and Belmont. Owls senior outside hitter Sabrita Gulley's 3.91 kills per set ranks her second in the A-Sun in that category and ranks over half a kill higher than the KSU single-season record for kills per set. Sara Metroka's 9.07 assists per set is the by far the highest average for a KSU setter in the program's history. Junior Alyssa Lang and freshman Camille Pedraza are both averaging over three digs per set, which if those marks held would be the first time in program history two players have ever finished over the 3.00 digs per set mark in the same year.
"Jacksonville will be a very tough opponent for us," coach Weatherington said. "We know the opportunity is there for us to perform well; now we have to seize that moment and perform to the best of our abilities."
Friday's match is Youth Volleyball Night, with all youth volleyball players that wear their team jerseys or t-shirts and their accompanying adults will receive a discounted admission price of three dollars.
Saturday's match with the Ospreys will be difficult for the Owls as well. Although KSU swept UNF last season, the second match of the two went to five sets, with the Owls holding on for a, 15-12, win in the finale. Paige Pridgeon leads the Ospreys with 3.82 kills per set, ranking third in the A-Sun just behind Gulley.
In addition to being the last A-Sun match at home this month, Saturday's match will also be the "Dig Pink" match for the Owls. Part of a nationwide movement to raise awarneness towards the fight against breast cancer, "Dig Pink" is supported by high schools and colleges nationwide. As part of the movement, the Owls will don special pink jerseys for the occasion. The jerseys brought the Owls luck last season, as the Owls defeated Belmont for the first time in program history in the pink uniforms.
"The fight against breast cancer is something that is very important to our program," said coach Weatherington. "We've had players go through our program who's mothers are breast cancer survivors. Almost everyone on the team has been affected by this horrible disease in some way. Whatever we can do to support the fight against breast cancer, we are honored to do it."
The first 500 fans in attendance at Saturday's match will receive a pink KSU draw string bag.
