By: by KSU Sports Information
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's volleyball team will face its final non-conference test of the regular season this Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. when metro area rival Georgia State visits the KSU Convocation Center.
"It is important for us to establish positive momentum heading into Atlantic Sun Conference play this weekend," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Georgia State is in a similar situation to us in that they've had some injuries slow them down to this point. I know both teams are going to be fired up due to the geographic rivalry between us. We're looking forward to a really great match and a really great crowd in the Convocation Center to cheer us on."
Both teams had struggles over the weekend at respective non-conference tournaments. The Owls (5-9) went 1-2 with a win over Jackson State and losses to Texas State and North Texas as part of the Mean Green Volleyball Classic in Denton, Texas. Georgia State (5-11) went 1-3 over the weekend with a win over South Carolina State and losses to Presbyterian, Ohio, and Georgia Southern.
Georgia State is KSU's oldest rival on the volleyball court by virtue of being the first team the Owls ever played. The two teams met Aug. 25, 2006 at the Georgia State Sports Arena in the first match in the KSU program's history. That evening, the upstart Owls pushed Georgia State to a 31-29 score in game two, but the Panthers eventually won, 3-0 (30-16, 31-29, 30-19). Selina O'Leary picked up the first seven of her program-record 1,161 career digs as a program was finally born on the court in Black and Gold.
A lot has changed since that first night, not just with the general turnover of rosters that come in college athletics, but also with the sport itself. Instead of playing games to 30 points, teams now play sets to 25 points. Substitutions have been limited from 15 per game to 12 per set. Timeouts now generally last at least 75 seconds instead of the original 60-second increment.
The Owls have also changed a great deal in that time. After winning just one match that inaugural season, KSU has won 39 over the past two-plus seasons. The Owls finished second in the A-Sun last season after only winning seven A-Sun matches over the first three seasons as a program.
Still, Kennesaw State has yet to defeat Georgia State on the volleyball court. The teams have met four times, with three of those coming in Atlanta. The last time the schools met was Sept. 22, 2009. That night, a match-high six total blocks from Holly Knight were not enough as Georgia State defeated the Owls, 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 20-25). The match is more known perhaps for the events around the match than the match itself. Originally set to be contested in Kennesaw, the match was moved to Atlanta due to historic flooding in the Cobb County area.
Fans are enouraged to wear black for "Blackout Night" at the Convocation Center. In addition, the first 200 fans will receive a black KSU t-shirt. There will also be a student tailgate in the lobby of the Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m.
