By: by Jason Hanes
KENNESAW, Ga. - With a bye into the semifinals of the A-Sun Championships on the line, a pair of seniors stepped up as Sabrita Gulley had 22 kills and Katie Winschel had eight kills in the decisive fourth set as the Kennesaw State volleyball team defeated USC Upstate, 3-1 (24-26, 25-22, 25-18, 25-20) to clinch the No. 2 seed in the A-Sun Championships.
"All three of our seniors - Sabrita, Katie and Eman Burns - were so special for us today. We needed them to be leaders on the court today, and they all stepped up for us. I couldn't be prouder of the effort of our team today to get to this point."
The Owls (16-9, 8-1) have won eight straight matches, the longest winning streak in program history. Even with only four home conference matches, the Owls still managed to finish the home season at 7-2, including a perfect 4-0 mark in A-Sun play.
KSU had a 24-22 lead in the first set, but Upstate went on a 4-0 run to swipe the opening frame, 26-24. That would be the only set the Owls would lose, but it wouldn't be without a fight. Trailing, 14-9, in set two, the Owls went on a 7-0 run to take the lead, 16-14. With the lead just one at 20-19, the Owls forged ahead. Kills by Holly Knight and Gulley, in addition to a block by the duo, gave KSU a four-point edge. Upstate (10-17, 1-8) would cut the lead to two, 24-22, but on the second set point opportunity, Alyssa Lang pounded home a kill to knot the match at a set a piece with a 25-22 win in the second.
The Owls jumped out to an 18-9 lead in the third set, then survived a small rally by the Spartans to take the win. Lang had five of her 14 kills in the third set, pacing the Owls to the win.
In the final set, the Owls found themselves in a fight to the finish. Down 20-19, the Owls needed a run to get things going. Winschel helped the cause with a kill to tie the set, 20-20, and from there it was all KSU. A block by Sara Metroka put KSU ahead, 21-20, with another attack error by the Spartans giving KSU a two-point lead. Consecutive service aces for Emily Bean gave the Owls match point, 24-20, and Winschel put the match away. The senior connected for her eighth and final kill of the set, giving KSU the 25-20 win. In the final set, Gulley and Winschel combined for 15 of KSU's 16 kills.
A pair of freshmen also had big games on Senior Day for the Owls. Metroka finished with a career-high 54 assists, a KSU record for assists in a four-set match. Camille Pedraza had a match-high 24 digs, the highest dig total of her season since 26 at Belmont Oct. 1.
The Owls will be back in action Tuesday night in Athens when they take on Georgia. First serve is set for 7 p.m., with live audio available via KSUOwls.com.
