By: by KSU Sports Information
DENTON, Texas - Justine Young had a team-high 13 kills the Kennesaw State volleyball team fell, 3-0 (25-14, 29-27, 25-13), to North Texas in the final match of the Mean Green Volleyball Classic.
"This isn't the way we wanted our last road test before conference play to go," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "We will need a better, consistent effort for us to be successful against Georgia State Tuesday night and against our conference foes next weekend."
The Owls (5-9) scored the first four points of the match, but North Texas scored seven to take a lead they would not give up. KSU would only record five kills in the set as the Owls fell, 25-14.
KSU would bounce back in set two and have a golden opportunity to even the match. The Owls scored seven of the first eight points to lead, but UNT would come back to within a point. The Owls would extend the lead to six off a kill by Sara Metroka as KSU moved within two points of the set at 23-17. UNT would score seven straight points, taking a 24-23 lead and holding set point in hand. Keyaira Stevenson would earn a kill to tie the set up, and the teams would swap points. For the second time in the day, the Owls would play a set to 27-27, but much in the same way as in the earlier match against Texas State, the Owls would fall. A KSU service error was followed by a KSU attack error, giving the Mean Green the set, 29-27.
The third set belonged to the home team from almost the outset. While KSU would score even early, consecutive attack errors gave the Mean Green a, 4-2, lead and the Owls would never seriously challenge again. The Owls would fight off a pair of match points thanks to blocks from Holly Knight, Emily Bean and Metroka, but the Owls would fall, 25-13.
Camille Pedraza led the Owls with 11 digs. Knight had four total blocks for her second consecutive match. However, the offensive flow that was there for the Owls in the first two matches of the weekend went away in the finale as KSU hit just .036 as a team.
Courtney Windham led the Mean Green with 19 kills, with Melanie Boykins added a dozen.
The Owls will be back in action Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. as Georgia State visits the KSU Convocation Center for the final non-conference match of the regular season.
