What you need to know:
* This weekend, Georgia State will travel to Mobile and Troy, Ala. as the team battles South Alabama and Troy. GSU is looking to improve to a winning record in Sun Belt conference play. The Panthers sit at 3-3 in the SB and 7-10 overall.
* Head coach Sally Polhamus and the Panthers are coming off a 1-1 weekend. GSU fell to Coastal Carolina in three sets, but responded nicely with a five-set victory over App State. The Panthers play South Alabama Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Troy at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
* GSU's middle blocker Eliza Zachary and outside hitters Crystal Lee and Kristina Stinson have led the Panthers in SBC play. The three have combined for over 67 percent of the team's kills in six conference matches. Celeste Friesen has continued her defensive excellence with nearly 13 digs per match in conference play.
ATLANTA – Georgia State court volleyball will head to Mobile and Troy, Ala. to play the South Alabama Jaguars and the Troy Trojans as the team continues Sun Belt Conference play. The Panthers (7-10) defeated South Alabama in four sets and Troy in five frames earlier in the season at the GSU Sports Arena.
After splitting matches against Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State last weekend, GSU will look to capitalize on momentum earned from its five-set victory over the Mountaineers.
Seniors Eliza Zachary and Kristina Stinson continue to match each other step-by-step in kills. The middle blocker and outside hitter have registered 134 kills apiece on the season. Sophomore setter Sarah Renner has dished out 538 assists and ranks 4th in the SBC in assists per set with nearly nine.
Crystal Lee will look to pick up right where she left of last weekend. The sophomore OH tallied 16 kills and eight digs against App State. Celeste Friesen and Anna Rantala lead the Panthers with 22 service aces each this season. GSU ranks 7th in the nation and 1st in the Sun Belt in aces per set.
South Alabama comes into the weekend with a SBC record of 1-4 and 10-8 overall. Head coach Amy Hendrichovsky and the Jaguars snapped a five-match losing streak with a win over Troy in straight sets. Nikki Gittens led the Jags with 11 kills and three blocks. Iva Durdanovic spearheaded the defensive effort with 12 digs.
The Jaguars feature a balanced offensive attack with five players over 100 kills on the season. In addition to Gittens and Durdanovic, these include Mechell Daniel, Kristina Alabastro and Kelley Hartman.
Under head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick, the Trojans are still searching for their first conference victory. Troy heads into the weekend at 0-5 in the Sun Belt and 6-16 overall. The Trojans will look to end a losing skid of 12 matches at home against Georgia Southern on Friday night.
Sara Landis and Page Logan lead the Trojan offense with 181 and 140 kills, respectively. Alisha Henrichs is averaging over 3.5 digs per set on the year. Bethany Cullity has also played sound defense to date and averages over two digs per set.
Be sure to follow along for updates all weekend long as the Panthers look to improve to a winning record in the Sun Belt.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB) for the latest news.
