PITTSBURG – The 2021 Pittsburg State University volleyball season is set to start Friday (Sept. 3) as the Gorillas travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the Nova Southeastern University Shark Invitational.
 
The Gorillas will play four matches across two days in the Sunshine State. Pitt State will open its 2021 season against Lynn Friday at 9 a.m. (CDT) at Rick Case Arena on the campus of Nova Southeastern. The Gorillas will take on the host school, Nova Southeastern, that night at 6 p.m.
 
Pitt State will turn around Saturday to take on Stonehill at 11:30 a.m. The Gorillas' final matchup of the invitational will be against Florida Southern at 2:30 p.m.
 
Gorillas Coaching Staff

• Head coach Jen Gomez enters her sixth season leading the Gorillas. Gomez has tallied a 45-77 record in her tenure at Pitt State.
• Gomez is joined by second-year assistant coach Miranda Rodriguez. Rodriguez joined the Pitt State staff in 2020 after a serving as a graduate assistant at MIAA rival Washburn University.
• The two are joined by second-year graduate assistant Markayla Dickie.

Getting Back on the Court

• The Gorillas enter the 2021 season off a 5-10 spring 2020-21 season after the cancellation of the MIAA's fall 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The Gorillas last NCAA sanctioned match came back on Nov 21, 2019 in the MIAA Tournament against Washburn. The Ichabods took down the Gorillas 3-0. Pitt State posted a 14-16 record (9-11 MIAA) in 2019.
• Thursday, Sept.  2, will mark 653 days since the Gorillas last match.

Scouting the Gorillas

• The Gorillas return seven starters from its 2019 squad and 11 members from the 2020-21 fall season.
• Senior middle hitter Hope White returns for her final season after accumulating 90 kills in 2019.
• Junior libero Marissa Bates returns to the Pitt State lineup following an honorable mention All-MIAA sophomore season in 2019. The Silver Lake, Kan., native led the team in digs with 442 in 2019.

Scouting the Opposition

• Lynn enters the year after its best season since 1996 in 2019. The Knights notched a 28-5 record and an 18-2 record in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). The record earned the Knights a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Bracket. The Knights were upset in the second round by Saint Leo ,3-0.
• Nova Southeastern enters the tournament after finishing the 2019 season with a 20-11 record and a 12-8 conference record in the SSC. The Sharks finished tied for 6^th in the SSC.
• The Stonehill Skyhawks finished 2019 with a 17-10 record and a 9-4 record in the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10). The Skyhawks finished third in the Northeast 10 Conference.
• The Gorillas final opponent from the Sunshine State Conference, the Florida Southern Mocs, finished the 2019 campaign with a 7-23 record and a 3-17 record in the SSC. The Mocs finished ninth in the SSC standings.
• Both the Sunshine State Conference and the Northeast-10 Conference did not play a 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Follow

Anyone interested in following the Gorillas in Florida can click here for the Shark Invitationals home page for live stats and live video.
 
Up Next
 
Following its action in Florida, Pitt State will return to the friendly confines of John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court for the first home outing of the season as the squad hosts the Gorilla Classic. The Gorillas are scheduled for four matches against the likes of Truman, Northwestern Oklahoma, Sioux Falls (S.D.) and St. Mary's (Texas) between Sept. 9-11.