Nov. 8, 2008
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KENNESAW, Ga.--On a day where the Kennesaw State volleyball team honored senior setter Tara Dillon before the final home match, it was two underclassman setters that nearly stole the show for Kennesaw State as the Owls fell 3-1 (25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 27-25) to North Florida on Saturday afternoon at the KSU Convocation Center in an Atlantic Sun Conference match.
Junior Ginny Frederick and freshman Rachael Albright combined for 36 assists on the day for the Owls, with Albright flirting with a triple-double by recording a career-best eight kills to go with eight digs. Albright also had four aces to lead KSU, which had 11 on the match.
North Florida (11-14, 9-9) survived a tight first set against the Owls. There were eight ties and three lead changes in the opening frame. With the Owls up 20-15, UNF scored four streight points, three of which came on KSU errors, to pull witin a point. After a KSU timeout, a UNF block tied the set at 20. Frederick earned a kill to put the Owls back up by one, but UNF scored the next four points to earn three set point chances. The Owls (6-22, 5-13) fought off the first two on kills by Shanice Smith and Asjia Stokes, but a service error gave the Ospreys the first set, 25-23.
The second set was a much different story, with UNF using a late 8-1 run to take a 24-17 lead. The Owls would fight off three set points, but a kill ended the set with the Ospreys winning 25-20.
The Owls were able to turn the tables on the visitors in the third set. The score was only tied once, with that coming at 1-all. The Owls led for almost the entirety of the set, extending the lead to five, 16-11, after a UNF attack error. The lead expanded to seven when Albright dumped home an attack to give KSU a 20-13 lead. From there, the Owls would cruise to the victory in the set, finishing off the 25-17 win on a service ace by junior Chelsey Denesha.
In the finale, the two teams battled through 16 ties and eight lead changes to decide a winner. With KSU up 23-22, UNF scored the next two points to take a 24-23 lead and earn their first match point chance. Off a KSU timeout, Stokes put home a kill to even the set at 24-all. One point later, the Owls had a set point chance after the 16th kill fo the contest for Sabrita Gulley. But it was not to be for the Owls in their final home match. UNF scored the next two points on a pair of KSU attack errors to bring up match point again. This time, the Ospreys would take advantage as Kaley Read recorded her team-high 13th kill to give the Ospreys the victory.
Gulley finished with a double-double, recording 10 digs to go with her 16 kills. Stokes also recorded a double-double, tallying 12 kills and 10 digs.
Read also had a double-double for UNF, successfully passing 10 KSU attacks.
Kennesaw State will conclude their season with a pair of road matches next weekend in Nashville, Tenn., against A-Sun foes. The Owls will battle Lipscomb on Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST, followed by a Saturday tilt with Belmont at 2:00 p.m. EST.
Notes:The Owls complete their home schedule with a program-best four wins...Dillon will finish her career with the two-highest assist totals in a match in KSU history...The senior recorded 63 assists against Stetson on October 27, 2007, and 51 against Loyola in 2006.
