By: by KSU Sports Information
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KENNESAW, Ga. - Alyssa Lang recorded her 1,000th career dig en route to her team-best 10th double-double of the season as the Kennesaw State volleyball team fell, 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 25-21, 19-25, 15-12), to East Tennessee State at the KSU Convocation Center in Atlantic Sun Conference volleyball action Friday night.
"We did not do a good job of taking care of the ball on our side of the net for the majority of the match," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "Credit ETSU for coming in and performing at a high level. We have to have more intensity than our opponents from the first serve until the final whistle, and we did not do that tonight."
The Owls (11-13, 6-3) saw their six-match winning streak come to an end after failing to get going offensively in the final set. KSU was able to muster just two kills in the final set. Still, the home squad had a chance to win. After Young's 14th kill of the night tied the set, 11-11, a bad set by the Bucs gave the Owls the lead, 12-11. That would prove to be the final lead of the night for the Owls, as a service error tied the fifth set for the ninth time, 12-12. The Bucs would close out the match on their serve and pull away for the victory, 15-12.
In the first set, the Owls rallied from a two-point hole at 17-15 to take the lead, 20-17. Holly Knight had two kills and two total blocks during the run to propel the Owls into the lead. The lead would swell to as many as five as Baylee Strachan connected for a kill and ETSU committed an attack error to give KSU set point, 24-19. The Bucs fought off the first two, but a Strachan kill gave the home squad the first set, 25-21.
The Owls scored the first point of set two, but that would be the only lead KSU would have in the frame. The Bucs kept the Owls off-balance, holding KSU to a .000 attack percentage in the set en route to the 25-17 win in to even the match at one set apiece.
The third set matched the fifth set with nine ties and four lead changes. KSU turned a 16-14 disadvantage into an 18-16 lead thanks to a Strachan kill and three straight ETSU attack errors. The Bucs responded with a four-point swing of their own to take a lead they would not relinquish, as Megan Devine closed the set out with back-to-back kills for a 25-21 win.
KSU responded to adversity in the fourth set, scoring 11 of the first 14 points to take a lead they would never give up. Strachan gave KSU set point with a kill to make the score 24-17, and three points later, Lang would close the set out with her 11th kill of the night, putting KSU in position to take the final set.
Lang recorded her 1,000th career dig in the second set. Needing two to get to the milestone, the senior finished the night with 15 to go along with 12 kills. The Richmond, Va., native became the first player to join the 1,000/1,000 club while wearing a KSU uniform.
Strachan had 10 kills and a team-best four aces. Camille Pedraza had a team-best 19 digs, while Sara Metroka had her eighth double-double of the season with 41 assists and 13 digs.
Devine had 20 kills to lead all attackers for ETSU and converted a double-double of her own with 13 digs. Kayla Williams had a match-high 50 assists and 14 digs, while Kiley Tamblyn led all defenders with 21 digs.
The Owls will return to action Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. when USC Upstate visits the Convocation Center. ASun.TV will provide full coverage of the match.
