April 23, 2009

KENNESAW, Ga. - Kennesaw State's volleyball team will travel to Statesboro, Ga., this Saturday to wrap up its spring exhibition with a tournament at Georgia Southern. The Owls have played well this spring, picking up wins at the Emory Invitational two weekends ago.

KSU won the Emory Spring Invitational, defeating reigning Division III National Champion and host school Emory in the final match. Along the way, the Owls faced tough opposition from many local programs and teams.

In the first match, the Owls faced Wasabi Volleyball, a team that features numerous former collegiate volleyball players from the Atlanta area that plays on the USAV circuit. KSU was able to pull out a win in three sets - a win that gave the Owls a shot of confidence.

"Our outsides were very effective against the accomplished Wasabi defense," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Sabrita Gulley and Asjia Stokes have been working on shot selection and attacking out of our offensive system, and the match against Wasabi definitely highlighted that progress."

Defense set the tone in the second match of the day for the Owls as KSU faced Berry College. The Owls were able to take a victory in three sets with a "phenomenal blocking effort," said Coach Weatherington.

In the third match, the Owls topped the Vikings of Montevallo in three sets. "Montevallo is an accomplished team with a quick offense. The match gave us an opportunity to defend against a faster-tempo offense with multiple crossing patterns, much like many of the teams we will play against in the fall," said Coach Weatherington. "I was proud to see us make adjustments in our defense and adapt. Selina and Eman led us with some amazing digs to ignite our defense."

In the finale, the Owls were pitted against the reigning D-III National Champions. "I knew Emory would be our biggest challenge," Coach Weatherington said. "They are National Champions, we were on their home court, and they know what it takes to win."

With the proper adjustments made on offense and key blocks, the Owls were able to jump to an early lead. "We wanted to focus our efforts on blocking since Emory ran the fastest offense of any of the teams in the tournament. They also have fast middle blockers that can be very effective offensively."

With momentum bouncing back and forth, the Owls were able to seize the moment at the end, pulling out a 2-0 sweep.

"I was so excited for the team," said Coach Weatherington. "They played hard every time they took the floor, and most importantly, they saw their weeks of hard work result in winning."

Saturday's tournament will wrap up the spring exhibition season for the Owls. "We're really looking forward to playing at Georgia Southern. This will give us a chance to put our final touches on an incredible spring season."