BOX SCORE (XML) | BOX SCORE (PDF)
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Owls kept pace with first place Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday night but ultimately fell, 3-1 (22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 20-25), despite 30 kills between
Keyaira Stevenson and
Baylee Strachan.
Stevenson (Columbia, S.C./Ridgeview HS) hit .382 with 16 kills while Strachan (Sioux City, Iowa/Winthrop) was good for 14 of her own with three solo blocks.
KSU is now 16-11 overall and, 5-7 in the Atlantic Sun Conference heading down the homestretch of the 2012 season. FGCU remains undefeated atop the league standings at 11-0 with a 16-7 record overall.
The Owls clawed back from a five point deficit in the opening set, rallying from behind after falling back 6-1 to start things off. An FGCU ball handling error followed by a Stevenson kill put KSU up, 8-7, a set the Owls led by as many as two points at 10-8. Four straight points from the Eagles catapulted the home team into the lead as they took a tightknit, 25-22 set win.
Kennesaw State again fell behind in the second set, 6-1, but battled back to within two points on a pair of FGCU attack errors and a Strachan kill. The Eagles then outlasted the Owls late, taking the 25-15 win.
The third set of the match was again close in the early goings with KSU holding a brief lead at 9-8 on the
Jenna Wilt (Woodstock, Ga./Etowah HS) service ace. The Owls then extended their lead late at 22-19 with yet another ace, this one from
Emily Bean (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike HS). Strachan then put the Owls within one of taking their first set of the match with a kill to make it 24-19 with an Eagle attack error giving KSU the set win.
A
Turea Jones (Santa Rosa, Calif./Santa Rosa JC) kill in the early goings of set four put the black and gold up early, 3-1, in yet another tight set. Stevenson broke an 11-11 tie to put the Owls up one, followed by an FGCU attack error to make it 13-11 KSU. With the Owls holding a 19-17 lead, a crucial timeout by the Eagles brought the home team seven straight points to take a 24-19 advantage. FGCU then took the set and the match with a 25-20 set win.
Sara Metroka (New Castle, Ind./New Castle Chrysler HS) was good for 40 assists and a pair of kills while libero
Camille Pedraza (Marietta, Ga./Kell HS) led with 17 digs.
The black and gold will now break until Friday, when the team plays its final two home games of 2012, hosting North Florida at 7 p.m. followed by a Saturday afternoon contest with Jacksonville on Senior Day.
To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State volleyball news follow the team on Twitter
@KSUOwlNation and
@KSUOwlsVB or by liking Kennesaw State University Volleyball on Facebook.
Kennesaw State University is celebrating 30 years of intercollegiate athletics during the 2012-13 academic year.
Around the A-Sun
North Florida 3, Northern Kentucky 1
Lipscomb 3, Jacksonville 1
