Oct. 5, 2007

KENNESAW, Ga.--The Kennesaw State volleyball team will make its home debut on A-Sun.TV when they play host to Atlantic Sun Conference rival Mercer on Saturday afternoon. Match time is set for 4:00 p.m.

"I'm looking forward to a good match tomorrow," said KSU head coach Valerie Jones. "It's not so much a question of trying to take Mercer out of their game, but making sure that we play our own game to the best of our abilities. It's one of those matches where if we play well and compete, I feel we can come out with a victory."

The Owls are 1-1 in their last two A-Sun matches, with their win coming last Friday against North Florida in Jacksonville, Fla. In their most recent match, the Owls (3-17, 1-2 A-Sun) fell in three games to metro Atlanta rival Georgia State. Lindsey Plotner had eight kills to lead the attack for KSU, while Selina O'Leary had a match-high eight digs.

Saturday's match will feature two of the stronger teams on the block in the A-Sun. Kennesaw State currently ranks sixth in blocking with a 1.98 blocks per game average. Mercer sits in fourth in the league, averaging 2.04 per game. In conference matches, the teams are ranked even closer with Mercer in third (2.18) and KSU tied for fourth (2.11).

Solid serving has also been a hallmark of the Owls in 2007. In A-Sun matches, the Owls have 1.78 aces per game, good for sixth in the league. Mercer is averaging just 1.45 aces per game, ranking the Bears in 10th.

Mercer (4-13, 2-1 A-Sun) has wins in conference play over UNF and Lipscomb. The Bears feature a very balanced attack, with five players averaging over two kills per game. Julie Darty's 2.89 kills per game is tops among all Bears attackers. Her 176 total kills also ranks best on the team.

Last season, the Owls fell to Mercer 3-0 in Macon. Ginny Frederick led the KSU defense with six digs in the match. Saturday's match will mark Mercer's first visit to the KSU Convocation Center.

Tomorrow's match will also be KSU's home debut on ASun.TV. Fans that can't make it to the match can watch from their computer. The cost to watch just the match is $5.99, while a monthly pass to watch all ASun.TV events is $9.99. Fans can also purchase a full-season pass for $69.99.

"We're excited about this match airing on the internet," said Coach Jones. "It gives us an opportunity to reach out to fans that may not get to see KSU volleyball otherwise."