By: by KSU Sports Information
Box Score
KENNESAW, Ga. - Alyssa Lang had her fourth-straight double-double and Justine Young had 13 kills, but it wasn't enough as Kennesaw State's volleyball squad fell, 3-0 (25-16, 25-21, 25-18) to Oral Roberts in the championship match of the 2011 Owls Invitational.
"Oral Roberts is perennially one of the best mid-major volleyball programs in the country, and they proved it tonight," said KSU head coach Karen Weatherington. "We had some good moments against them, but they are a very talented team that deserved to win the match."
The Owls (3-4) fell into an early hole as the Golden Eagles (4-3) won nine of the first 12 points. Trailing 19-12, the Owls would mount a mini-rally as Baylee Strachan and Lang had back-to-back kills and Keyaira Stevenson served up an ace to send ORU into a timeout. Down four, Strachan made sure the Owls won the timeout with a kill to bring the home team within three.
Unfortunately for the Owls, that would be the final point they earned in the set. A 6-0 run by Oral Roberts gave the visitors a, 25-16, win in the opening frame.
Set two started out much more evenly, as the teams split the first 22 points. ORU took the first three-point lead of the set thanks to a kill, a service ace, and a KSU attack error. The lead would build to be as high as six, but the Owls came back with three straight points. Emily Bean had back-to-back kills, and after a ball handling error was whistled on the Golden Eagles, the Black and Gold were within three, 22-19.
The teams split the first two points off the timeout, but ORU earned a shot at four set points with a block. Young would keep the Golden Eagles at bay with a kill, but a service error would bring an end to the second set with ORU on top, 25-21.
Trailing 14-11 in the third set, the Owls pulled within two after a kill by Strachan and a ORU miscue. The teams would swap points, with Lang building on her kill total up to a team-high 13. After a Bean kill made it 17-16, ORU took the next point with a kill and sent KSU into a timeout down a pair.
That would prove to be as close as the Owls would get. A 7-2 run by Oral Roberts would close out the match and the tournament with the Golden Eagles edging the Owls in the end.
Lang and Sara Metroka were named to the All-Tournament team for the Owls Invitational. Metroka averaged 10.87 assists per set for the tournament, while Lang led the Owls with 44 kills and a .421 attack percentage.
The Owls will be back in action this Tuesday when they travel to Athens to take on in-state rival Georgia. Match time is slated for 7 p.m. and can be heard on www.KSUOwls.com.
2011 Owls Invitational All-Tournament Team
Winthrop – Becca Toor
Chattanooga – Ellie Kuhn
Kennesaw State – Alyssa Lang
Kennesaw State – Sara Metroka
Oral Roberts – Elizabeth McVicker
Oral Roberts – Laura Taylor
Tournament MVP – Bruna Silva (ORU)
