By: by KSU Sports Information
Game Notes |
Tournament Central
KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's volleyball team will host a tournament for the second consecutive weekend as the KSU Convocation Center opens its doors for the 2011 Owls Classic. The Owls will take on Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. Friday, with Troy and UAB meeting in the 5 p.m. match earlier that afternoon.
"We're very happy to be hosting a tournament for the second weekend in a row, and we're very happy to have three excellent teams coming to play here," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "All three teams coming in have had some good wins to start the season. This weekend will be a very good test for our team."
The Owls (3-5) have dropped two straignt matches, most recently falling in three sets at Georgia. Justine Young led the Owls in kills in the loss in Athens with nine, while Alyssa Lang had seven digs for KSU in defeat.
Lang and sophomore setter Sara Metroka both had solid weekends last weekend during the 2011 Owls Invitational. Lang was named to the All-Tournament team after hitting at a .421 clip with only four errors in 95 attacks. She also averaged 4.00 digs per set, including a season-high 21 in a five-set victory over Winthrop last Friday night. Metroka was solid in running the KSU offense. The setter had 10.67 assists per set for the weekend and also set a career-high with seven kills in the victory over Winthrop.
Eastern Kentucky (4-4) went 3-1 at the USF Invitational last weekend, including a win over the host Bulls of the Big East Conference. Ashley Edmond was named Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her performance last weekend, while Abbey Cvelbar earned OVC Setter of the Week honors. Friday's match will mark the first time the two teams have met on the volleyball court.
KSU will play host to Troy (4-3) in Saturday morning's match. The Owls earned a victory over the Trojans last season in the 2010 Owls Invitational in a 3-0 sweep. The Trojans are coming off an impressive five-set win over Georgia State in Atlanta last Tuesday. In the match, the Trojans faced four match points in the third set, but found a way to win the third set and eventually the match.
The final match of the tournament will feature the Owls against the Blazers of UAB (4-2). The Blazers got off to a hot start to the season, winning the first four matches of the campaign; however, UAB has dropped back-to-back five-set contests. Libero Heather Thomas enters the weekend needing 20 digs to set UAB's record for career digs.
Friday's 7 p.m. match will feature a seat cushion giveaway as part of KSU's season-long "Friday Night Is Volleyball Night" promotion.
