By: by KSU Sports Information
DENTON, Texas - Kennesaw State tied the team record for aces in a match with 13 while Emily Bean hit for a program-record .769 as the Owls defeated Jackson State, 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 25-17), in the first match of the Mean Green Volleyball Classic.
"You obviously don't expect to come out and get 12 aces in the first two sets, but we wanted to challenge Jackson State with our service game," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "We executed our game plan to perfection, from our service game to our offensive and defensive play. I'm very pleased with our winning effort."
The Owls (5-7) trailed 10-5 in the opening set, but a 6-0 run on the serve of Sara Metroka gave the Owls their first lead of the match, 11-10. With the score knotted at 12, the Owls would take the lead for good off a JSU (4-6) service error and a service ace by Rachael Albright. The set would still be in doubt though, as the Owls struggled to put away the Tigers in the opener. With the score 21-20, the Owls would close the set on a 4-0 run. A kill by Chadé Martin was followed by consecutive service aces by Metroka to give KSU set point. One try would be all the Owls would need, as Keyaira Stevenson ended the set with a kill for a 25-20 win.
KSU fell behind, 9-3, in set two, but the Owls allowed JSU just six more points the rest of the way. KSU tied the set, 10-10, off a Holly Knight kill. With KSU down, 12-11, consecutive kills by Bean pushed KSU ahead for good, 13-12. The kills started a 6-0 run by the Owls, with Stevenson collecting a pair of aces to her credit during the run to push the advantage up to five.
Leading 19-14, the Owls scored six of the final seven points of the set. After a kill by Knight gave KSU set point, 24-15, Knight closed the set off with a solo block for a, 25-15, victory.
The last set was all square, 9-9, until the Owls took the lead for good. A Metroka dump for a kill preceded a JSU attack error to put the Owls ahead by a pair. With the lead at 13-11, three straight points for the Owls came via kills by Bean and Stevenson and a JSU attack error. Leading 18-15, the Owls scored seven of the last nine points of the match. With match point in hand, 24-17, after a Martin kill, the Owls used a JSU attack error to get the final point of the match and the set three win, 25-17.
Bean's 11 kills led the Owls, but her .769 attack percentage was only third-best on the squad. Metroka was a perfect 3-for-3 on attacks for a 1.000 attack percentage, while Knight had eight kills in nine swings without an error for a percentage of .889. Still, due to the minimum number of attacks required for the record, Bean's .769 will go in the record books as tops in KSU history.
Metroka and Knight each had three aces to lead the way for KSU, while Stevenson's 10 digs were tops on the Owls squad.
KSU will be back in action Saturday as play at the Mean Green Volleyball Classic continues with a pair of matches. The Owls will face Texas State at 2:30 p.m., followed by an 8 p.m. match against North Texas.
