By: by Jason Hanes
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ATHENS, Ga. - Alyssa Lang had 13 kills and Sabrita Gulley had 12, but it wasn't enough as the Kennesaw State volleyball team fought hard, but fell, 3-0 (25-23, 33-31, 25-19), to Georgia at the Ramsey Center on Tuesday night.
"Overall, we fought very hard. It's always tough going on the road to play an in-state rival. We just didn't get the plays we needed at key times to win," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington.
The Owls (16-10) saw their eight-match winning streak come to an end, but not without a battle. KSU led set one, 23-21, before a 4-0 run by the Bulldogs (13-15) gave Georgia the, 25-23, win.
In set two, the Owls led 23-20, but Georgia went on a 3-0 spurt to tie the set, 23-23. That would begin a trend of point swapping that expended well beyond the 25-point mark. Both teams had multiple set point opportunities in the set that featured nine ties after KSU led, 24-23. Georgia took a 31-30 lead, but a kill by Grace Hoyt, one of her nine on the night, took the pressure off the Owls momentarily. It was not to be in the end of the set for KSU, as a kill and a service ace gave Georgia the set, 33-31.
In the final set, the Owls led 8-6 before a 4-0 spurt for the Bulldogs gave the home team a 10-8 lead that they would not relinquish. Georgia built its lead to as many as six, but kills by Gulley brought KSU within four, 23-19. Gulley's 12th kill would be the final point of the match scored by the Owls, as a pair of kills gave the Bulldogs the, 25-19, win.
Freshman Sara Metroka came up just short of a double-double, recording 32 assists and digging up nine UGA attacks. Camille Pedraza led KSU defensively with 14 digs.
Georgia was led by Brittany Northcutt's 15 kills and .560 attack percentage. Setter Kathleen Gates had 45 assists in the loss.
The Owls will be back in action this Saturday in Macon when they take on Mercer in the final Atlantic Sun Conference match of the season for the Owls. First serve is set for 5 p.m. at the University Center.
