Aug. 24, 2007
KSU-Austin Peay Box Score
KSU-N.C. A&T Box Score
HIGH POINT, N.C. - After only winning one match in its inaugural season, the Kennesaw State volleyball team has already secured its first win of the season as the Owls split a pair of matches on the first day of the High Point Invitational.
After dropping their opening match in three games to Austin Peay (30-20, 30-16, 30-24), the Owls (1-1) rebounded with a resounding 3-0 sweep of North Carolina A&T (30-21, 32-30, 30-23) in the nightcap.
"We had a lot of first-match jitters," said head coach Valerie Jones. "However we worked through them in the second match and our girls did a great job of stepping up big time against North Carolina A&T."
Jenny Black paced KSU as the sophomore recorded 16 kills, while freshman Sabrita Gulley had 13 and recorded an attack percentage of .706 en route to the victory.
The Owls jumped out to an early game one lead after back-to-back kills from newcomers Sabrita Gulley and Liz Schreck. After the teams would trade points in the middle of the first frame, KSU poured it on late to close the game on a 6-2 run, including the final four points, go up 1-0 in the match.
The Aggies opened game two by winning the first four points before Gulley ended the run with a kill. The rest of the game was a back-and-forth affair as neither team could extend a lead much more than three or four points. KSU took an advantageous 2-0 lead in the match after winning the game 32-30 on the strength of a Lindsey Plotner kill.
North Carolina A&T (0-2) looked as if it was ready to make a comeback after a taking a lead late in the third game before Jones called a timeout to calm her team. Whatever was said in the huddle must have worked, as the Owls responded and drew within one at 19-18. The Aggies briefly answered back, but it was the Owls' will that was the key because KSU closed the match on a 12-4 run, including a string of the final nine points.
"The girls showed lots of enthusiasm in the nightcap," added Jones. "I am very proud of their effort."
Tara Dillon converted 44 of 45 assist attempts, good for a .978 percentage. The 44 assists were the second most of her career and the largest total since she recorded 52 against Loyola on September 8, 2006. The Owls as a team converted 54-of-108 (.333) total attack attempts, their highest percentage in school history.
Against Austin Peay, KSU led early in game one but the Lady Govs scored eight consecutive points, including three kills by senior Dodi Szymska, to take a 9-3 lead. The Owls would close to within one point, 11-10, but could only watch as the APSU scored six of the next seven points to put the game safely away.
Game two was all Austin Peay as it broke out to a 5-0 lead on its way to the 30-16 victory. Kennesaw State was unable to get its offense on track, scoring back-to-back points just four times in the game. The Lady Govs recorded seven service aces in the game, four by Sarah Alisaleh alone.
The Owls fought valiantly in game three, forcing 16 lead changes and nine ties. KSU held a 14-11 advantage and forced APSU to take a timeout. Following the timeout, the Lady Govs grabbed the lead with four consecutive points. A later 5-0 run put the game and match out of reach as KSU fell in its opening match of 2007.
The Owls will be back in action on Saturday when they take on High Point at 11:00 a.m. and close out the tournament with UNC Wilmington at 1:30 p.m.
