By: by Jason Hanes
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Callie Churchwell's seventh and final block of the match clinched the fifth and final set as Kennesaw State's volleyball team defeated North Florida 3-2 (22-25, 25-8, 26-24, 21-25, 15-12) to punch the Owls' ticket to the Atlantic Sun Conference Championships.
Asjia Stokes had a team-high 17 kills for the Owls, who have qualified for the A-Sun's post-season tournament in their first year of eligibility. Sabrita Gulley had 15 kills with just two attack errors to help fuel KSU's drive to the post-season for the first time. Selina O'Leary tied her Kennesaw State record with 27 digs in the match.
"Selina took command over a team that had an emotional setback last night," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. We were really struggling to recover from yesterday and we were playing a young, charged-up North Florida team. Our defense got us through the match. We blocked the ball well, and Selina and Chelsey Denesha really led us along the back row."
The final, emotional set was played tightly with the Owls jumping out to a 6-2 lead, but North Florida rallying back to take an 11-10 advantage. With the season potentially on the line, the Owls rose to the challenge. Kills by Gulley and Denesha gave the Owls a 12-11 lead. A UNF attack error pushed KSU's lead to two, but a block by the Ospreys cut the lead to one, 13-12. A bad set handed the Owls match point, 14-12, setting the stage for Churchwell's final, post-season clinching block.
The Owls clinched the No. 5 seed outright and will now play Belmont in the quarterfinals of the A-Sun Championships this Thursday on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast.
"I'm looking forward to going in as the No. 5 seed in the A-Sun Championships," Coach Weatherington said. "In my past experience in post-season play, you play with a lot of reckless abandon and at a very high level. We're looking forward to the trip to Ft. Myers. We're looking forward to going to the A-Sun Championships and representing Kennesaw State to the best of our abilities."
