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KENNESAW, Ga. – It all comes down to the final week of play for Kennesaw State volleyball as the Owls vie for a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Postseason Tournament. The black and gold will face off against East Tennessee on Tuesday before the regular season finale against in-state rival Mercer on Thursday.
KSU finds itself in a three-way tie for the final slot in the A-Sun Tournament with Jacksonville and Mercer, who all sit at 5-11 in the league standings with just two matches remaining on the docket for each. JU will play host to USC Upstate and ETSU while Mercer also faces the Spartans before the pivotal match with the Owls to end the season.
ETSU is one of the hottest teams in the conference as of late, winning its last three matches, including a 3-2 victory over previously undefeated Florida Gulf Coast. Megan Divine leads the potent offense with her 443 kills while Meredith Hardy and Khadijah Wiley continue to be the top two blockers in the conference with a combined 250.
Thursday’s possible do-or-die match with the Bears is set up to be one of the most dramatic of the season for KSU. The Bears and the Owls have not played a match in less than four sets since the 2007 season with two out of the last three going the full five. Mercer took the 3-2 win over Kennesaw State in Kennesaw, Ga. back on Oct. 13.
The Bears continue to boast one of the top defenses in the nation, ranking in the top 10 in digs per set with a 17.67 average. Emily Rochefort also places in the top 10 individually with a 5.19 mark.
KSU will rally behind its seniors,
Turea Jones (Santa Rosa, Calif./Santa Rosa JC) and
Baylee Strachan (Sioux City, Iowa/Winthrop), who have combined for 725.5 points in 2012. Strachan earned a season high 16 kills at Lipscomb while Jones had her second 20-kill outing of the year at Northern Kentucky.
Camille Pedraza (Marietta, Ga./Kell HS) continues to lead the Owl defense, coming up with 39 digs in the last two games alone and 475 overall. Setter
Sara Metroka (New Castle, Ind./New Castle Chrysler HS) is averaging 10.35 assists per set to aid the KSU offense, putting the junior in the top five in the league in the category.
Both matches are set for 7 p.m. this week with the A-Sun Tournament taking place on Nov. 15-17.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State volleyball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsVB or by liking Kennesaw State University Volleyball on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
