Sept. 6, 2008
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga.--Freshman Maja Kostic had a team-high 11 kills and junior Chelsey Denesha fell a dig short of a double-double, but it was not to be for the Kennesaw State volleyball team on Saturday afternoon as the Owls fell 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-13) to Austin Peay State during the 2008 Owls Challenge.
"We fought really hard in the first two sets," said KSU head coach Valerie Jones. "I'm disappointed in the result, but we'll learn from this and continue to develop and grow as a team."
The Owls had the opportunity to take the first set, opening up a 21-18 lead after a Kostic kill before the Lady Govs rallied to take a 23-22 lead. The Owls tied the score one point later on a kill by Denesha, the 13th tie score in the set. APSU would continue to charge, scoring the next two points to take the first set, 25-23.
In the second set, the Lady Govs raced out to a 12-7 lead before the Owls went on a 5-0 run spurred by two kills each from Kostic and Denesha to tie the score at 12-all. Six points later, a kill by Ginny Frederick gave KSU a 16-14 advantage.
The Owls led 18-16 after a service ace for Rachael Albright, but that would be the final two-point advantage of the set for KSU. The Lady Govs scored nine of the final 13 points of the second set to take a 25-22 win in the frame and a two-set lead for the match.
In the third set, the Owls offense was stymied by the service game of APSU. KSU struggled to get in an offensive rhythm, falling behind 21-9 after an 8-0 run by the Lady Govs. The Owls would score three straight points to pull within nine, but that would be as close as KSU got as Austin Peay State took the final set, 25-13.
Stephanie Champine led the Lady Govs with 13 kills and a lone attack error for an attack percentage of .375. APSU hit .261 for the match, compared to .165 for KSU.
Junior Selina O'Leary led all back-row players with 14 digs. The Plainfield, Ill., native is leading the Owls with 3.47 digs per game.
In earlier action Saturday at the Owls Challenge, Butler survived a stern test from Loyola (Md.) to win a 3-1 (25-13, 20-25, 25-23, 25-9) decision. Porshia Allen had a match-high 15 kills for the Bulldogs, who held the Greyhounds to a .031 attack percentage for the match.
The Owls Challenge will wrap up this evening as APSU faces Loyola at 5:00 p.m., with the Owls facing Butler in the nightcap 40 minutes after the first match
