Aug. 23, 2007

HIGH POINT, N.C. - Year two of the Kennesaw State volleyball program is set to begin this weekend as the Owls travel to the Tar Heel State to take part in the High Point Invitational Tournament.

KSU (1-21, 0-9 Atlantic Sun in 2006), who returns 10 players from last year including lone senior Lindsey Plotner and A-Sun All-Freshmen team selection Ginny Frederick, should stack up well against the rest of the field, which includes Austin Peay (4-24, 2-14 OVC), North Carolina A&T (17-14, 7-3 MEAC), UNC Wilmington (8-25, 0-18 CAA) and the host Panthers (10-22, 6-8 Big South).

"We are glad the preseason is over," said head coach Valerie Jones in preparation for this weekend's matches. "We have made some nice strides and I'm excited to see where we're at."

The Owls begin play on Friday at noon against Austin Peay. The Lady Govs return three starters from last year's squad which finished last in the Ohio Valley Conference. Jenny Hazelwood is in her first year at the helm of the APSU program after four years as head coach at Centenary College in Louisiana.

After the conclusion of the first match, KSU will next take on North Carolina A&T at 2:30 p.m. The Aggies lost twin sisters Arlene and Darlene Mitchell and Lauren Walker to graduation off last year's team which saw them finish fourth in the MEAC. The Owls and Aggies met once last year, with N.C. A&T winning a hard-fought match, 3-1, in the Loyola Invitational on September 8, 2006.

Saturday's first match will pit KSU against the tournament host, High Point, at 11:00 a.m. The Panthers finished fifth in the Big South in 2006 and return five starters and 11 players from last year. Chad Esposito is entering his fifth year as head coach at High Point and brings a 50-84 record into this season.

The Owls will wrap up the two-day tournament with a match against UNC Wilmington at 1:30 p.m. The Seahawks return four starters from last season's squad, including sophomore middle blocker Paula McConnell, who paced the squad with 302 kills and a .257 attack percentage on her way to earning CAA All-Rookie Team accolades.

"All four of our opponents have solid programs," added Jones. "I feel it is important to challenge our team early on in the season and hopefully we can come away with a few wins this weekend."

After the four-match weekend, the Owls will host Georgia Southern in the home opener on Tuesday, August 28, at 7:00 p.m. at the KSU Convocation Center.