By: by KSU Sports Information
DENTON, Texas - Kennesaw State's volleyball team will be vying for its fifth win of the season as it takes on Jackson State this Friday at 5 p.m. as part of the North Texas Volleyball Classic.
"Jackson State will be a good test for our team," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "JSU is a team that played five sets to decide a conference championship last season. They are very much a battle-tested team and we will be looking to get a solid effort from everyone on the court and get a victory."
The Owls (4-7) enter the North Texas Volleyball Classic having lost their last two matches. A win by the Owls on Friday night against Eastern Kentucky was followed by home losses Saturday to Troy and UAB. While the Owls went 1-2 last weekend during the 2011 Owls Classic, the team still had some impressive individual performances. Justine Young had back-to-back matches with over 20 kills and set the KSU record for kills in a match with 25. Holly Knight averaged 0.89 blocks per set last weekend during the Owls Classic. Both Young and Knight were named to last weekend's all-tournament team.
The individual performances continued from a pair of players who saw extended playing time last weekend. Freshman Keyaira Stevenson earned a double-double in Friday night's match against EKU. The Columbia, S.C., native had 16 kills and 21 digs, both career-highs, in the win for the Owls. Stevenson had her second-straight double-double the next morning against Troy when she earned 16 kills and 14 digs. Senior Rachael Albright started last weekend for the first time in her career in the libero position. The Palm City, Fla., native flourished in the role, tying her career-high with 26 digs in the win over EKU. The next morning, Albright hit the 20-dig plateau again against Troy. Albright led the Owls in digs in all three matches last weekend.
Jackson State (4-5) reached the finals of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament last season, falling in five sets to Alabama A&M. This year's edition of the Tigers has wins over Louisiana Tech and Chattanooga to their credit. Christine Edwards leads the Tigers with 4.00 kills per set.
Live audio will be available for Friday afternoon's match, beginning at 4:45 p.m. by clicking
here. The Owls will continue play at the North Texas Volleyball Classic on Saturday, beginning with a 2:30 p.m. match against Texas State and concluding with an 8 p.m. contest against the host Mean Green.
