By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's volleyball team will play its final regular season contest of 2010 Saturday afternoon at 5 p.m. when it takes on Mercer. With a win, the Owls would tie last season's win total of 17.
"This will be our second in-state rival in as many matches," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Mercer is going to be fired up to try and win on their Senior Day. We are going to be in a battle from the opening whistle and we need to play to the best of our abilities from the outset."
The Owls (16-10, 8-1) enter having already clinched the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships next weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. A victory would also mark KSU's ninth in its last 10 matches.
Several individual milestones are there for the taking for KSU. With 14 kills, Sabrita Gulley would match her total of 360 from last season. Seventeen kills would tie Asjia Stokes' single-season record for kills by a KSU player at 363. Three digs by freshman Camille Pedraza would give her 300 for the season. Freshman setter Sara Metroka needs 23 assists to reach the 900-assist plateau on the year. No KSU player had reached 700 in a season before Metroka did so earlier this year.
A win by Mercer (14-16, 6-3) would force a three-way tie for third place in the A-Sun and would give the Bears the No. 3 seed by virtue of the A-Sun's tiebreaker system. The Bears are led offensively by Amiee Frutchey and her 2.46 kills per set. Defensively, Charlotte Harris leads both the Bears and the A-Sun with 5.42 digs per set.
Following Saturday's match, the Owls will be idle until the semifinals of the A-Sun Championships next Friday. The Owls will face teh winner of the No. 3/No. 6 quarterfinal match
