Oct. 2, 2007

Box Score Photo Gallery

KENNESAW, Ga.--Down two games to none, the Kennesaw State volleyball team fought hard but ultimately fell in three games to metro Atlanta rival Georgia State. KSU fell 30-23, 30-17, and 30-26.

"While we've come a long way as a program, there comes a point where we can't use the excuse of being a second-year program as a crutch anymore," said KSU head coach Valerie Jones. "The time where we celebrate moral victories has come and gone. We're doing good things on the court, but we have to make that decision both as a team and individually that we're going to make that next step and stop being satisfied with playing at an average level."

The Owls tried to establish their game with the first point of the match, as Ginny Frederick recorded a solo block, sending the GSU attack back into their side of the court to give the Owls the opening point. The Black and Gold kept the score even through the early stages of the first game, taking a two-point lead at 7-5 off back-to-back kills by Jenny Black and Frederick.

After GSU tied the score at 8-all, a kill by Asjia Stokes and a GSU attack error gave the Owls the two-point margin back. GSU tied the score again, but again the Owls gladly accepted three gifts from the Panthers in the form of errors, giving KSU its largest lead of the game, 13-10.

The Panthers responded with a 5-0 run of their own to take a two-point lead. KSU tied the game back up with a kill by Stokes and an attack by the Panthers that landed outside the court. The teams kept battling back and forth. Down 21-19, Stokes had a thunderous attack that brought the KSU Convocation Center to life and brought the Owls back within a point. An Eman Burns service ace later, the Owls had tied the game up again.

At this point, the Panthers flexed their royal blue muscle, running off seven straight points against KSU to open up a 28-21 lead. GSU had seven game point opportunities at 29-22, but the Owls fought off the first thanks to a block by Plotner and Stokes. That would be the only point KSU would whittle off of the lead, as a service error gave the visitors game one 30-23.

Game two started out much the same as game one did. The Owls fell behind 4-1, but rallied back with a GSU service error and kills by Frederick and Sabrita Gulley to tie the score. After the teams combined for five service errors in six points, the Panthers regained their footing and opened up a five-point lead at 14-9, forcing Coach Jones to take a timeout. The Owls kept the deficit between four and seven points until the score was 23-17. At that stage, the Panthers went on a back-breaking 7-0 run to end the second game.

In the finale, the Owls fell behind by five points early, but rallied off consecutive kills by Black and Gulley to tie the score at 10-all. The score remained tight for the remainder of the game, with the Owls eventually trailing 18-16.

At that point, the fighting spirit of KSU was on full display. The Owls tied the score at 18-all, as a Frederick kill and a GSU hitting error gave KSU its two points. After GSU tallied the next point, the Black and Gold scored the next four. A kill by Plotner tied the score at 19-all, with a GSU attack error following to make the score 20-19 for KSU.

GSU tried to catch the Owls off-guard, as setter Noelle Boyd tried to dump the ball slyly over the net. The move backfired, as the attack caught nothing but the net, giving the Owls a 21-19 lead. Miscommunication by the Panthers led to a service ace for Stokes, and with KSU leading 22-19, GSU was forced to ask for a timeout.

GSU scored the first three points after the timeout, forcing Coach Jones to settle the troops with a timeout of her own. Black fired home a kill to give KSU the lead again 23-22. That would prove to be the last lead of the night for the Owls. GSU took the lead 24-23, and while the Owls tied the score one point later, the Panthers scored six of the final eight points to steal the 3-0 win in the match.

Plotner tied GSU's Jocelyn Waldern for match-high honors in kills with eight. Selina O'Leary notched a match-high eight digs to pace the Owls back row defense. For the second consecutive year, the Owls out-blocked the Panthers, this time by a 7-6 margin. Gulley's three total blocks led the way for KSU.

The Owls will be off until Saturday, when they host another in-state and Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer. Match time at the KSU Convocation Center is set for 4:00 p.m.