What you need to know:
* Georgia State volleyball is back at the GSU Sports Arena this weekend for matches against Little Rock and Arkansas State. After splitting their matches versus Texas State and UT Arlington, the Panthers will look to improve to a winning record in SBC play.
* GSU battles Little Rock on Friday at 6 p.m. and Arkansas State on Saturday at 6 p.m. On Saturday evening, head coach Sally Polhamus and the Panthers will honor seniors Morgan Patterson, Katelyn Rawls, Kristina Stinson and Eliza Zachary for senior night in the Sports Arena.
* The Panthers currently hold the second spot in the East Division trailing Coastal Carolina. Seniors Kristina Stinson and Eliza Zachary have combined for 363 kills on the year. Underclassmen Sarah Renner and Celeste Friesen have had breakout seasons averaging nearly 34 assists and 14 digs per match, respectively. GSU will have a difficult road to get to 7-5 in the SB with Little Rock (9-15, 5-6) and Arkansas State (18-7, 10-1) standing in its way.
ATLANTA – Georgia State court volleyball is back at home again this weekend for matches versus Little Rock and Arkansas State. Head coach Sally Polhamus and the Panthers (9-12, 5-5) will complete a four-match homestand at the Sports Arena. The matches are slated Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.
GSU is coming off a 1-1 weekend in which it split matches against Texas State and UT Arlington. The Panthers bounced back from a five-set loss versus the Bobcats to earn a five-set win over the Mavericks last Saturday night.
Senior outside hitter Kristina Stinson is just six kills away from No. 200 on the season. She is averaging over 11 kills per match in conference play. The Panthers will rely on Crystal Lee and Eliza Zachary to supplement the attack this weekend.
Sophomore setter Sarah Renner will also look to continue her sound conference play. Renner leads the Panthers with 366 assists against SBC opponents. Celeste Friesen and Anna Rantala have spearheaded the defensive effort with nearly 500 combined digs on the season.
Under head coach Van Compton, the Little Rock Trojans (9-15, 5-6) visit the Sports Arena after dropping its last two matches to South Alabama and Arkansas State in seven total sets. The Trojans are currently on the brink of making the conference tournament at fourth in the West.
Offensively, Marina Avram, Veronica Marin and Edina Selimovic lead the Trojan attack with nearly 60 percent of the team's kills. Taylor Lindberg orchestrates the Little Rock offense with 688 assists through 23 matches. Compton will need Sydnee Martin to compete at a high level defensively, as she averages over 2.5 digs per set.
Arkansas State (18-7, 10-1) and head coach David Rehr enter this weekend's play atop the West standings. The Red Wolves have a six-match win streak going and are winners of eight of their last nine. All of their last eight wins have been in straight sets.
The Panthers will have their hands full on senior night with sophomore Carlisa May, who averages almost four kills per set. Kenzie Fields, Brentley Weaver and Anna Murphy have combined for over 500 kills this season.
Markie Shaedig has been a digging machine this year and averages over five per set. Setter Mallory Warrington has already totaled over 1,000 assists for the Red Wolves this year.
Be sure to come out and support the Panthers as they look to pick up their second win all-time versus Little Rock. GSU will be looking for its first-ever win against Arkansas State.
Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GeorgiaStateVB) for the latest news.
