By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - For the second consecutive night, Kennesaw State needed five sets, but for the second consecutive night, the Owls prevailed, defeating Nicholls State 3-2 (25-15, 20-25, 25-15, 16-25, 15-12) to win the Kennesaw State portion of the Great 8 Volleyball Challenge Presented by Residence Inn-Kennesaw.
Kennesaw State (5-1) finished the tournament with a 3-0 record, the same record as Georgia State, who also needed five sets to knock off Presbyterian. The teams were declared co-champions of the event, with
Asjia Stokes and Ashley Jones earning co-MVP honors for their play at the two sites. Joining Stokes on the All-Tournament team from KSU were
Sabrita Gulley and
Chelsey Denesha.
The Owls continued their best start in school history, improving to 5-1 on the year with an impressive 3-0 mark in five-set matches.
In the final set, Nicholls State crept out to a 9-7 lead before the Owls mounted a comeback. After a service error by the Colonels,
Chanel Davis was credited with a kill after an NSU blocking error, tying the score at 9-9. An attack error by the visitors later, KSU led 10-9. The Colonels came back to tie the set one point later, but back-to-back kills by Denesha and
Ginny Frederick gave the Owls a 12-10 lead. The Colonels earned the next point with a kill by Jesica Addicks, but KSU regained a two-point lead when Gulley converted an attack for her 19th kill of the match.
Nicholls State asked for timeout, and a kill by Addicks gave the Colonels the first point after the 75-second stoppage. That would prove to be the final point of the night for the visiting team. Gulley drilled home her 20th kill of the match to give the Owls match point, and the Colonels provided the final margin, committing an attack error to give KSU the win.
"We have been doing everything we can to emphasize protecting our home court," said KSU head coach
Karen Weatherington. "Our players understand their roles and because they are willing to invest in their role, we are more successful as a unit on the floor."
Rachael Albright completed her first double-double of the season with 25 kills and 11 digs, tying Frederick for team-high assists honors on the night. Frederick came up one kill short of her career-high, tallying six on 12 attempts for a .500 attack percentage.
But Coach Weatherington was exceptionally proud of her three All-Tournament team members. "Asjia has really set the tone for what she wants her senior season to be like. She practices hard every day, but the most important thing has been her consistancy in practice and on the court.
"Sabrita is still in her growth stage," Coach Weatherington continued. She has taken on additional responsibilities this year, and her confidence has grown because of that. Chelsey has a calm and even composure on the court. She knows what it takes to make other players successful, and I really learned how unselfish she is as a player this weekend."
KSU flew through the first set, using a .448 attack percentage to take the opening frame 25-15. Gulley had six of her match-high 20 kills in the opening set as the Owls took full advantage of seven Nicholls State attack errors.
As would prove to be the case for the entire match, the even-numbered sets did not go in KSU's favor. Both Nicholls State and the Owls had the same number of kills and attack errors in the set, but the Colonels had five service aces which proved to be the difference in the 25-20 frame.
Set three played out like the first and was all KSU. The Owls connected for a team-high 17 kills, with Gulley providing five and Holly Knight adding four without an attack error. The Owls swung 27 times with just one attack error as a team, as Ginny Frederick and Stokes each had three kills in the set for KSU.
The fourth set was one of the worst sets of the year so far for KSU, as Nicholls State's Jesica Addicks, Rachel Spreen, and Jennifer Brandt combined for 16 kills in the Colonels' 25-16 win in the set.
The Owls will be back in action this Tuesday as they host Mercer in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener for both teams. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
