By: by Jason Hanes
Box Score
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - Senior Sabrita Gulley had 18 kills and junior Turea Jones had 21 digs to help rewrite the record books as the Kennesaw State volleyball team impressed in its season opener, winning, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-15), over Nicholls State at the Southern Miss/LaQuinta Inn Invitational.
"We had an exciting first match," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "It's always great to start off with a win. We were a little inconsistent at first, but once we settled down, we stabilized our block and played really well."
Gulley set a KSU record for kills in a three-set match with 18. Her 20 points in the match set a new KSU mark for points in a three-set match. Jones' 21 digs tied Selina O'Leary's KSU record for digs in a three-set match. Freshman Sara Metroka had 34 assists, the third-best total by a KSU setter in a three-set match, with both of the higher marks coming during the 30-point era.
The Owls (1-0) jumped out to a 13-8 lead in the opening set, but Nicholls State (1-0) rallied back to tie the set, 15-15. After a KSU timeout, Nicholls pushed the lead up to three, 19-16, before Gulley took over. The senior from North Chicago, Ill., had two kills in the next five points to tie the score, 20-20. After an NSU timeout, Gulley had two more kills to give KSU a 22-20 edge. Gulley then teamed with Grace Hoyt on a block for a 23-20 KSU advantage.
The run wasn't over for the Owls and Gulley, as the senior put home another kill for a 24-20 advantage. With set point in hand, Gulley came up with a tip kill to give KSU the 25-20 win.
In the second set, the Owls trailed 22-20 before Gulley took over. A kill and a block by the senior made it 22-all, forcing NSU to take a timeout. After the stoppage, Gulley kept it going, putting another kill into the scoresheet, making it 23-22 Owls. A Nicholls hitting error gave KSU two set point chances; the Colonels fought off the first, but a slam dunk of a kill by Gulley gave KSU a 25-23 win.
The Owls opened up a commanding lead as the third set went on, and the Owls did not look back. The Colonels led 10-6 in the early going, but KSU would win 19 of the final 24 points. With KSU leading 16-13, a 6-0 run put the set out of reach. Gulley would net her final kill of the match in commanding fashion, making it 23-14, and while Nicholls would win the next point, a service error and an attack error would give the owls a 25-15 win in the set.
Freshman Sara Metroka impressed in her first collegiate start, recording 34 assists and eight digs in the win. Jones earned the start at libero and had a match-best 16 digs. Junior Alyssa Lang had seven kills and 12 digs, while Ceci Mattei had 11 digs in the win.
The Owls will take on South Alabama Saturday at Noon before facing Southern Miss at 7 p.m. CDT in the finale of the Southern Miss Invitational.
