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SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team battled for three sets with the University of New Mexico before losing their second match at the Tiger Volleyball Invitational. The Owls fell 25-18, 25-19, and 25-15, dropping the team to 4-2 on the season.
The first set began with each team trading points. With the set tied at 12 all, the Owls came out of the New Mexico (6-1) timeout and took a 15-12 advantage on the service game of
Sara Metroka (New Castle, Ind./New Castle Chrysler High School). Allowing the Lobos to come back and tie the set at 16, New Mexico ended the set on a 9-2 run, taking the opener 25-18.
The seesaw battle continued into the second set as the teams went blow-for-blow with each other. The set remained tied up until 15 all, when the Lobos strung together another streak that proved too much for the Owls to overcome. New Mexico closed out the set with a 10-4 rally to take a 2-0 advantage in the match.
While mainly the Lobos in a 25-15 win controlled the third and final set, the Owls showed that they were a resilient group. Competing with a never-say-die mentality, the Black and Gold eventually fell to a much larger and more athletic New Mexico team in three straight sets.
Keyaira Stevenson (Columbia, S.C. / Ridgeview) led the squad with nine kills, with
Turea Jones (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Rincon Valley Christian) recording five. Freshman
Toure Hopkins (Houston, Texas / North Shore) and
Cierra Royster (Mableton, Ga. / Cumberland Christian) gave a glimpse into the Owls’ future as Hopkins finished with three kills and a service ace, while Royster had one kill and an ace.
The Black and Gold will continue the Tiger Volleyball Invitational with their final match of the tournament later Saturday evening. KSU is slated to take on the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at 5 pm. The Owls are currently 1-2 in the Invitational.
Keep up with Owls volleyball and the entirety of the Tiger Volleyball Invitational by following KSU on Twitter at @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOWLSVB, or by liking Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook.
