GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO
KENNESAW, Ga. - The Kennesaw State volleyball team is slated to kick off the 2012 season this Friday as the Owls head to Starkville, Miss. to take part in the Mississippi State Maroon Classic.
KSU will take on Louisiana-Monroe on Friday night in the season opener for both squads before facing off against Jackson State and the host team Mississippi State on Saturday. It will be the first meeting in school history between the Owls and all three opening weekend opponents.
“We are fired up and ready to get the season started,” Kennesaw State head coach Karen Weatherington said. “The week has gone by so fast, we really only have two more days left of preparation and then we’re ready to go to Starkville.”
All three games can be seen live via
HailState.com with both live stats and a live web stream available.
The season’s first opponent, ULM, comes in after a sub .500 year in which the Warhawks went 10-16. Third year head coach Ernest Vasquez does bring back the core of his young roster, including senior outside hitter Samantha Morse who was good for 288 kills last season.
The Tigers of Jackson State are coming off of an undefeated season in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and an NCAA Postseason Tournament appearance where they lost in the first round to Nebraska. JSU lost senior captain Donisha Dunn, who led the SWAC in kills with 255, but brings back Paige Williams who earned 191 kills respectively.
Mississippi State is looking to build upon a 12-17 season in 2011 during which the Bulldogs were one of the top blocking teams in the country. Sophomore Lainey Wyman returns for her second season after picking up 92 total blocks during her freshman year.
The Owls are coming off of a 13-16 season in 2011 and bring back a pair of key players in junior libero Camille Pedroza (Marietta, Ga./Kell High School), the Atlantic Sun Conference Preseason Libero of the Year, and junior setter Sara Metroka (New Castle, Ind./New Castle Chrysler HS), who is also an All-A-Sun Preseason selection.
“We’re really starting to get into the groove,” added Weatherington of her squad. “Our leadership has stepped up and we’re starting to gel as a team both on and off the court. I’m starting to see a lot of chemistry and that’s helped us begin to perfect our passing game and offense attack to back up our already great defensive standard.”
Guiding the KSU lineup will be the two juniors, Metroka, who now holds the career assists record in the Kennesawn State record book with 2,082 after collecting 1,103 last season, and Pedroza, who is coming off of a 381 dig season in which she put up a .929 reception percentage.
Offensively, senior Baylee Strachan (Sioux City, Iowa/Winthrop) and junior Emily Bean (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike High School) will be back to lead the charge. Strachan put up 124 kills, 22 service aces and 36 blocks while Bean aided in the effort with her 176 kills, 28 aces and 53 blocks.
First serve for Friday’s season opener is set for 5 p.m. with Saturday’s matches taking place at 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
The first chance to see the Owls at home in the KSU Convocation Center will be on Sept. 7, when North Carolina Central comes to town for a 12 p.m. contest, kicking off the KSU Owl Classic.
