ATLANTA -- The Georgia State volleyball team will begin its final season of action in the Colonial Athletic Association this weekend as the Panthers travel to face George Mason Friday, and James Madison Saturday. Both matches will begin at 7 p.m.

“It really important to start off the conference season with good results,” said head coach Tami Audia. “We played really well against Clemson and Georgia Tech, and picking up a couple of wins this weekend can really prove to our girls that they are improving.”

Georgia State

The Panthers (2-10) will be looking to start their final CAA season off in winning fashion. Georgia State holds a 6-5 record all-time against George Mason that includes a 3-2 win over the Patriots last season. James Madison leads the all-time series with GSU 8-5 with the two teams splitting last season's series.

“We're continually working on our offense,” said Audia. “Our counter-attack needs to continue to improve. We need to be able to score off of our defense.”

Junior Emily Averbeck continues to play solid defense for the Panthers. The Cincinnati, Ohio native is currently second in the CAA and 27th in the nation in digs per set with 5.29. As a team, GSU is third in digs in the CAA with 16.12 per set.

Freshman Eliza Zachary continues to put up big numbers in the blocking category, averaging 1.10 rejections per set which puts her third in the CAA.

Lone senior Jamiee Freeman leads the Panthers offensively with 2.30 kills per set and 92 total kills. Freshman Sydney Hunsley is right on her heels though with 82 total kills. Hunsley and fellow rookie Dede Bohannon are averaging 2.00 kills per set.

Opponents

George Mason (2-11) has dropped its last seven contests with its most recent loss coming at the hands of Rutgers, 3-2, on September 15.

Lana Zonjic leads the Patriots with 142 total kills and 3.02 kills per set. Bernetta Moore leads GMU and is fifth in the conference with 4.43 digs per set.

“Zonjic is a reallys strong player, and is someone we'll need to focus on this weekend,” said Audia. “James Madison is an experienced team and they'll be tough. We match up well with them with our size up front.”

James Madison (7-6) has been on a roll as of late. The Dukes have won six of their last seven matches and are coming off a 3-1 victory over Florida International September 15.

Junior libero Katie Daorai was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week this week after posting 64 digs in just 11 sets played at the South Florida Invitational last weekend.

“Since this is our last season in the CAA, I know Jamiee (Freeman) wants to go out with a bang,” said Audia. “We're going to play hard during the conference season and hopefully finish pretty high in the standings at the end.”