Sept. 1, 2008
Box Score
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--The Kennesaw State University volleyball team wrapped up play at the Air Force Labor Day Tournament with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-12, 25-14) loss to Southern Miss. Maja Kostic and Callie Churchwell each had five kills for the Owls in the loss, while Sabrita Gulley had three total blocks.
The Owls started off with a service ace from Rachael Albright and a hitting error by the Golden Eagles to take an early two-point advantage. Southern Miss (3-0) then reeled off the next two points, but a Gulley kill gave KSU the lead back. The Owls took advantage of consecutive Golden Eagles errors to take a 5-2 lead before a kill gave USM the serve.
KSU (0-3) pushed the lead to four thanks to more attack errors by the Golden Eagles. But a 6-0 run by Southern Miss gave the Golden Eagles the lead at 9-7. Kostic's first kill of the match stopped the run momentarily, but the Golden Eagles pushed the lead to three with two straight points. Albright dumped an attack over the net to slow the run again, but again the Golden Eagles scored two points to KSU's one, extending the lead to four, 13-9.
The Owls cut the lead back to two on a Gulley kill and a block for Callie Churchwell. Southern Miss pushed the lead back to four, as KSU kept trimming the lead back down to three only to see the Golden Eagles extend the advantage back to four. At 17-13, head coach Valerie Jones asked for her first timeout.
Kostic earned a kill off the timeout to give KSU the serve back, and a hitting error by Southern Miss trimmed the lead down to two, 17-15. After a Golden Eagles kill, a service ace and three KSU attack errors gave the Golden Eagles a 22-15 lead and forced the Owls to ask for time again.
A service ace off the timeout pushed the run to 6-0 for Southern Miss, but Asjia Stokes ended the run with a tip kill. Kostic's attack down the line landed in to cut the lead to six, and when Southern Miss botched an attack, the Owls were down by five and the Golden Eagles asked for time.
Off the timeout, the Golden Eagles earned their first set point opportunity with a kill. One chance would be all the Golden Eagles needed, as a kill by the Golden Eagles gave USM a 25-18 win.
In the second set, the Owls took the first point but USM took the next two to take the lead. Chanel Davis recorded her first kill with KSU to tie the score, and the Owls took advantage of two Golden Eagles errors to take a 4-2 lead. USM took the next five points, with the run stopping on a kill by Churchwell, making the score 7-5.
The lead would run to six for Southern Miss with four consecutive points for the Golden Eagles before KSU took their first timeout of the set. Off the timeout, Kostic put home a kill to cut the lead back to five. KSU trimmed the deficit to four after a USM service error and a blook by Davis and Tara Dillon. The lead would continue to rise for the Golden Eagles, as USM pushed the score to 19-10 before the Owls asked for their second timeout.
Southern Miss ran the lead to 13 after the timeout thanks to a pair of service aces and a kill. The Owls got back on the scoreboard with kills by Chelsey Denesha, but the deficit was too great to overcome as the Owls dropped the second set, 25-12.
In the third set, USM jumped to an early 7-2 lead. KSU would cut the deficit to three. The teams traded points until an ace by Eman Burns made the score 9-7. The Golden Eagles would respond with 10 consecutive points to take a 19-7 lead as the Owls asked for time.
The run didn't end with the timeout as Southern Miss scored the next two points, making the score 21-7. Consecutive attack errors by Southern Miss brought the Owls within 12, and a service ace for Albright put KSU in dobule digits. After a kill and an ace, the Golden Eagles had match point. Denesha earned a kill to fight off one match point, and consecutive blocks by the Owls fought off two more. An attack error by the Golden Eagles brought KSU to 24-14, but a service error ended the match, with the Golden Eagles taking the third set, 25-14.
Churchwell enjoyed a solid weekend in her debut for the Owls and was recognized for her excellent play by being selected to the all-tournament team.
With one tournament in the books, the Owls will now look forward to this weekend's Owls Challenge. The first volleyball tournament hosted by KSU in the history of the program, KSU will host Loyola (Md.), Austin Peay, and Butler this Friday and Saturday, with the Owls playing in the Friday night match at 7:30 p.m.
