Troy Volleyball Travels to Georgia for 2012 Opener

Friday, August 24

Athens, Ga.

12:00 p.m.

Troy University

Georgia State

Troy Volleyball Travels to Georgia for 2012 Opener

8/23/2012 1:05:00 PM | Volleyball

By: Matt Mays

2012 Troy Volleyball Media Guide

Live Stats - vs. Georgia State | vs. Slovenia | at Georgia | vs. Georgia Southern
Live Audio - at Georgia

ATHENS, Ga. – After weeks of preparation, the Troy volleyball team finally takes to the court as the Trojans travel to Georgia for the Benson Hospitality Bulldog Invitational beginning on Friday at the Ramsey Student Center on UGA's campus.

The Trojans are slated to open the tournament, and their season, against Georgia State at 12:00 p.m. CST on Friday before taking on Slovenia in an exhibition match at 3:00 p.m. Troy takes on the host Georgia Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday before closing their weekend against Georgia Southern on Sunday at 9:00 a.m.

Live stats for all matches are available through GeorgiaDogs.com and can be found on the Troy volleyball schedule page on TroyTrojans.com or at the links above.

A link to live audio for the Trojans match against Georgia can also be found on the Troy schedule page or above.

The Trojans enter 2012 after a 16-15 campaign in 2011, the first winning season since 2003 for the program. Troy capped its season by advancing to the Sun Belt Championships for the first time under head coach Sonny Kirkpatrick's now seven-year tenure.

Troy returns eight letterwinners from that squad, including 2011 All-Sun Belt selection Courtney Cohen. The junior libero set the Troy single-season record with 525 digs last season and led the Sun Belt with a 4.57 digs/set average.

Troy welcomes the leadership of four seniors to the floor in 2012, including three-year letterwinner Devin Von Pingel who sits sixth on Troy's career leaderboard with 232 total blocks, thanks in large part to a career-high 90 last season.

Breanna Cullity, Cassie Daniels and Mailande Parker are the other three seniors for the Trojans who will also mix in 10 newcomers as the 2012 season gets underway.

Troy's first opponent of the weekend, Georgia State, enters its final season in the Colonial Athletic Association as the Panthers transition to the Sun Belt in 2013. GSU finished 14-18 a season ago, including a fourth place finish in the CAA. Troy defeated the Panthers in Atlanta in five sets last September. Troy is 8-10 all-time against Georgia State.

Georgia enters its home tournament and the 2012 season after an 11-19 campaign in 2011 that saw the Bulldogs finish fourth in the SEC East with a 7-13 conference record. UGA was 8-6 at the Ramsey Student Center a season ago. Troy and Georgia have never met.

Georgia Southern enters the 2012 season after posting an 18-15 mark in 2011. The Eagles finished third in the SoCon South with a 10-6 conference record. Troy is 0-2 all-time against Georgia Southern with the last match-up coming in 2010.

After their weekend in Georgia, the Trojans return home to host Auburn on Tuesday at Sartain Hall. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m. and admission is free of charge.

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to check with TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.