By: by Jason Hanes
FORT MYERS, Fla. - Holly Knight had eight kills and a .571 hitting percentage, but it wasn't enough as the Kennesaw State volleyball team fell in its first Atlantic Sun Conference Championships appearance to Belmont in the quarterfinals, 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-17).
"We had gained the reward of meeting all of our goals which was championship experienc.e Belmont put together a great performance. Thanks to this year, we are able to set our expectations high for the future. It's an honor to be here and to lead the team in its first year," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "We couldn't have asked anything better or more of this team. I am very proud to be an Owl today."
Selina O'Leary had a match-high 13 digs for the Owls, finishing the season with 456 digs and becoming the first KSU volleyball player to average 4.00 digs for a season.
The Owls hung tough with Belmont in the first set as the set had six ties and two lead changes. KSU took its first lead of the day, 4-3, off a kill by Knight. Knight and senior setter Ginny Frederick teamed for a block two points later to give the Owls a 5-4 lead.
Unfortunately, that would prove to be the last lead of the day for the Owls. With the set tied 9-9, the bruins went on an 8-2 run, making the score 17-11. KSU trimmed the lead back to five, 20-15, after a solo block by senior Asjia Stokes, but Belmont scored the next three points to take an eight-point lead that the Owls couldn't overcome.
In the second set, the Bruins kept the momentum going, jumping out to an 11-2 lead. The Owls would get within six, 16-10, off a Sabrita Gulley kill, but the Bruins kept applying the pressure until taking the set 25-15.
The Owls trailed the final set, 15-8, but Kennesaw State had one last run up its sleeve. A Gulley kill and a Belmont attack error made it 15-10. Stokes dropped home a kill to make the score 15-11 and send the Bruins into a timeout. The Bruins won the first point off the timeout with a kill, but a service error, an ace by Knight, and a kill by senior Chelsey Denesha made the score 16-14 and sent the KSU partisans dressed in black and gold into a frenzy.
The Bruins would show why they will be a team to be reckoned with against Lipscomb tomorrow as Belmont scored three straight points to make the score 19-14 and effectively end KSU's hopes. The Owls would fight off one Belmont match point with a kill by Gulley, but a kill by Jenny Gray gave the Bruins a 25-17 win in the set and 3-0 win in the match.
Coach Weatherington was very complimentary of Belmont following the match. "Belmont is a team that has won championships before and came out with a determination to do it again," Coach Weatherington said.
"This is the premeire event in the A-Sun for volleyball," Coach Weatherington added. "FGCU has done a great job of putting on a great event. The A-Sun and Sherri Booker have done a great job of getting everything ready to put on a great championship event."
The Owls wrap up the season with a 17-12 record, the first winning record in program history.
