NOTES | ESPN3 | LIVE STATS

TALKING POINTS
» KSU will host USC Upstate in the Convocation Center on Saturday, Ocotber 25 at 3 p.m. to start the second half of conference play.
» As a freshman, Anaiah Boyer has gotten better and better as the season has gone on. She has a double-double in the last three matches. That gives her four on the season.
» Kristi Piedimonte's aggression on the offensive end goes beyond setting. She has 81 kills to this point in the season and is seven behind Sara Metroka's 88 kills that she had in 2012. The 88 kills is the most ever by a setter at KSU.
» Halfway through conference play, the Owls sit tied for sixth in the conference standings after losing five straight matches. The next three matches for KSU are home before they close out the regular season on the road for four straight matches.
 
THE COMPETITION
USC Upstate                                   
USC Upstate (9-14, 0-7) was 5-23 overall and 4-14 in the A-Sun in 2013.
 
Upstate has two players with over 200 kills. Kayla Eversgerd leads the team with 226 kills with Kayla McAvoy right behind her with 211. Lexi Gober is the setter and has 736 assists this season.
 
Defensively the Spartans have four players with over 200 digs.
 
The Spartans are coached by Jennifer Calloway, who is in her 18th season as head coach.
 
Last Meeting                                
In the conference opener, the Owls edged the Spartans in five sets.
 
Kelly Marcinek tied the KSU kills record with 24 and Katarina Morton collected 30 digs in the back and forth match.
 
» NEWS AND NOTES
Last Time Out                              
»   The Owls traveled to Jacksonville to play North Florida and Jacksonville. The team lost to North Florida in four sets and then lost to Jacksonville the following day in three sets.
 
Coach Schunzel on Entering the Second Half of Conf. Play
»   "We're at a part of the season right now where we are starting to get some tired legs and tired minds and one thing our team has to learn to do is push through that, keep grinding it out and figuring out ways to be successful. At exactly halfway through conference season, we are by no means where we wanted to be, but we still have plenty of time to get this ship moving in the right direction again. We continue to have a great fighting spirit as a group, so I know this team is going to do everything in its power to reach our potential as we get to the second half of the conference season."
 
KSU as a Team                              
» The team tied a school record against FGCU with 16.0 blocks in the match. In the four conference matches at home, the Owls have averaged eight blocks a match and 6.33 blocks in the three road matches. Individually, the Owls have five players with more than 11 blocks in conferene play. Cierra Royster leads the way with 18, Boyer has 16, Chade Martin has 15 and Piedimonte and Marcinek have 11.
» Of the seven conference matches played so far, four of them have gone to four sets, the win against Upstate went to five sets and two of the matches went three sets.
» Against North Florida, the Owls spread the kills around with Boyer totaling 11, Ridley having 10 and Marcinek had nine.
 
KSU Individually                         
» Boyer totaled 26 kills over the weekend against North Florida and Jacksonville. She has had nine double-digit kill matches so far this season and in seven of those nine she has at least 14 kills. Along with getting kills, Boyer is also strong defensively as she has had eight matches with double-digit digs and is tied for second on the team with 31.0 blocks.
» Morton is third in the conference in digs per set averaging 4.36. In conference play, her play has gone up to another level as she is averaging 5.04 digs per set, which is second in the A-Sun. She not only makes a difference on the defensive end, but she has 25 aces on the season.
» Marcinek is fourth overall in kills per set in the A-Sun with 3.24 and 256 on the season. In conference play, she is sixth averaging 3.37 kills per set.
» Ria Ridley had her third game of the season with 10 plus kills against Jacksonville. In conference play, she is third on the team with 49 kills.
» Overall, Piedimonte has averaged 8.74 assists per set in the 21 matches this season. In A-Sun play, she is fifth averaging 10.15 assists per set.

To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State volleyball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsVB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.
 
Fans are reminded that tickets to all 2014 home volleyball contests are free throughout the year.