By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
DeLAND, Fla. - In a fight for their lives, Kennesaw State's volleyball team found a way to survive against Stetson, winning over the Hatters, 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-13, 15-12) in an Atlantic Sun Conference match. Sabrita Gulley had 17 kills while Sara Metroka and Alyssa Lang each had double-doubles.
The Owls trailed, 9-6, in set five, but rallied with a 9-3 run to close the match. KSU tied the set, 10-10, with Metroka serving. The teams would trade the next four points, keeping the score knotted, 12-12, essentially creating a first-to-three points situation for both squads. A kill by Gulley gave the Owls the lead, 13-12. Needing a big play defensively, KSU got it with a block by Strachan and Lang. After Stetson's last timeout, the Owls had match point on Holly Knight's serve. Afer a KSU dig, Lang closed the match out with her 13th kill of the session to go with 17 digs, giving KSU the 15-12 win in the finale.
Knight had nine kills, nine total blocks and three aces for the Owls. Metroka had 43 assists and 12 digs. Camille Pedraza had a team-high 21 digs.
KSU was struggling in many facets of the game, and in fact ran out of substitutions in the second set with the score tied, 13-13. With all of the players in the match at that time forced to play all six spots in the rotation, excluding libero replacements, the Owls responded. The real spark for the Owls came when Baylee Strachan stepped back to the service line. Strachan fired a service ace - her first of the season - and the Owls were able to capture a second point with the middle hitter in back. Sparked by Strachan's serving, the Owls took the second set, 25-18.
After the Hatters rallied to take the third set, KSU stormed to the win in set four, 25-13. KSU led 8-3 in the early part of the set thanks in part to service aces by Knight and Turea Jones. KSU pushed the lead up to 8, 19-11, before the Hatters called their final timeout of the set. The stoppage didn't slow KSU's momentum, as the Owls closed the set by scoring 6 of the last eight points.
The Owls improved to 5-1 in the A-Sun and 12-9 overall. The win keeps KSU in second place in the A-Sun, heading into a bye week from conference play. Stetson falls to 1-20, with an 0-6 A-Sun mark.
