By: by Jason Hanes
DeLAND, Fla. - Callie Churchwell had 11 kills, seven total blocks, and five digs to spark Kennesaw State's volleyball team to a 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-14, 27-25) win at Stetson on Thursday night in an Atlantic Sun Conference match.
"Callie was a game changer," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "She came in and took control over the last 5-10 points of the match and refused to let us lose."
Rachael Albright came within three kills of a triple-double, settling for 23 assists, 13 digs, and seven kills. Chelsey Denesha nearly had a triple-double of her own with 15 digs, nine assists, and eight kills. Asjia Stokes tied Churchwell for team-high honors in kills with 11, while Sabrita Gulley had a double-double with 10 kills and 10 digs.
Selina O'Leary helped to provide a difference for the Owls on the back row, finishing with 18 digs and taking charge of KSU's serve reception. "Selina had a great night," Coach Weatherington said. "She set the tone for us defensively."
Holly Knight had nine kills for the Owls, who improved to 9-7 on the season and 4-5 in A-Sun play. Ginny Frederick had 20 assists for KSU, as the Owls finished with 58 as a team.
In the final set, the Owls trailed 21-16 but rallied to tie the score at 21-all with a 5-0 run. The Owls would continue to build on the momentum, taking a 24-23 lead before Stetson (1-15, 0-9) rallied to take a 25-24 edge. The Owls would come through in the clutch, as Churchwell pounded home her 11th kill of the match to tie the score, 25-all. Albright would come through one point later, taking a feed from Churchwell and turning it into a dump over the net to give the Owls match point, 26-25. It would rest on KSU's front-line defense to close the match, and the Black and Gold did just that as Gulley and Knight combined for a block to give KSU the win.
Albright and Churchwell were playing in their home state for the first time this season, and Coach Weatherington was quick to give thanks to the 50 fans for the Owls that were in attendance.
The Owls will be back in action Saturday afternoon when they travel to Fort Myers, Fla., to take on Florida Gulf Coast.
