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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team rode a pair of 20-kill performances to a 3-1 (29-27, 25-17, 23-25, 29-27) win as the Owls took down USC Upstate in the Atlantic Sun Conference opener for both schools.
Keyaira Stevenson (Columbia, S.C./Ridgeview HS) and
Turea Jones (Santa Rosa, Calif./Santa Rosa JC) each hit the 20-kill mark with setter
Sara Metroka (New Castle, Ind./New Castle Chrysler HS) adding a career high 67 assists in the four set thriller.
“We prepared and fought hard and tonight it showed,” said Kennesaw State head coach
Karen Weatherington. “They moved around their lineup some and we saw a matchup we liked and in the end we pulled through.”
In the end it was an Upstate (4-7, 0-1 A-Sun) attack error that finished the extended fourth set, 29-27, in favor of Kennesaw State (11-4, 1-0 A-Sun), one of two sets that went beyond the 25-point mark for the match. The set saw 11 lead changes and 30 ties with the Owls rallying around a Stevenson kill to grab the win.
“Keyaira (Stevenson) is such a great go-to player,” said Weatherington of the 5-10 sophomore. “She’s physical and she finishes the ball so well in key moments. It was good to see her get to 20 kills and to get us the win.”
The first set was a tight one, with Upstate grabbing the largest lead for either team at 9-6. With the Spartans serving for set point at 24-22, KSU went on a 3-0 run with crucial kills by Jones and
Emily Bean (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike HS) to go up by one, 25-24. Freshman
Michelle Witt (McFarland, Wisc./McFarland HS) then put the set away with a service ace, 29-27.
Set two was all KSU as the Owls pulled out of the gate to a 4-0 lead on the Metroka serve. Four straight Jones kills midway through gave the black and gold the 12-6 advantage and the senior would go on to finish the job, slamming home the set winner, 25-17.
The Spartans took their lone set win of the night in the third, grabbing the lead for good with a Kayla McAvoy kill to go up 16-15. KSU managed to climb back within one point down 24-23 with another Witt ace, but Upstate picked up the 25-23 set win with a Mindy Quimby kill.
“We played a solid non-conference schedule that prepared us well,” added Weatherington. “Now every match is going to be a battle in this league with every match meaning so much towards seeding.”
Bean and teammate
Baylee Strachan (Sioux City, Iowa/Winthrop) also finished in double-digit kills, Bean with 14 and Strachan with 13. The Owls also capitalized on eight service aces, three from Bean and a pair from Witt.
Libero
Camille Pedraza (Marietta, Ga./Kell HS) hit the 20 dig mark for the Owls defensively as Jones earned her fifth double-double of the year with 13 of her own. Bean also added three blocks as did
Cierra Royster (Mableton, Ga./Cumberland Christian HS).
With the win, KSU remains undefeated at 5-0 on its home floor while Upstate is still winless on the road.
The Owls will play their next four matches at home with Florida Gulf Coast next on the docket this Friday night at 7 p.m.
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
Lipscomb 3, Northern Kentucky 2
Mercer 3, East Tennessee State 0
