Score: Kennesaw State 3, Lipscomb 2 (31-29, 19-25, 22-25, 27-25, 15-7)
Records: Kennesaw State (7-3), Lipscomb (6-7)
Key Players: Anaiah Boyer (13 kills and 10 digs), Maddie Jones (13 kills and 13 digs), Liesl Engelbrecht (11 kills hitting .320), Sydni Shelton (11 kills and five blocks), Kristi Piedimonte (41 assists and five service aces)
 
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THE STORYLINE: 
· It was a heavy weight fight in the KSU Convocation Center against ASUN conference rival Lipscomb, but Kennesaw State fought back in the match to secure the victory in a thrilling five sets.
 
The Owls were down 2-1 in sets, but fended off three match points in the fourth to push it to a fifth set. After surging to a big early lead in the fifth, KSU secured the victory to move to 1-0 in ASUN play.
 
This was the first time that Kennesaw State has beaten Lipscomb in the KSU Convocation Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED: 
The Owls jumped on Lipscomb early in the first getting out to a 5-0 lead, but the Bisons had an answer evening things back up quickly. From there, the largest separation was a three-shot lead by the Owls, but Lipscomb kept responding to each deficit.
 
KSU spoiled two set points against Lipscomb, and the Owls had five chances to take the opening set before finally cashing in on the sixth to take a lead in the match after winning the first set 31-29.
 
The second set was even throughout until the Bisons stretched out their lead late using a 4-0 run to tie the match at one.
 
In the third set, Kennesaw State trailed late once again, but they used a run to even the score at 22. After the Owls clawed back into the set, Lipscomb went on a 3-0 run to take a lead in the match..
 
The fourth set was once again a nail biter and Lipscomb had three match points that were all fended off by three Anaiah Boyer kills. Once KSU got its chance to take the set they took it off of a big block by Rachel Taylor and Sydni Shelton.
 
With the home crowd behind them, the Owls got off to another strong start at the beginning of the set, but this time it was too much for Lipscomb to come back from. Kennesaw State raced to a 7-0 lead behind Kristi Piedimonte serving and never looked back taking the decisive fifth set 15-7.
 
SCHUNZEL QUOTE
"I'm really proud and thrilled that we pulled that match out. We were a hair away from losing in set four and all credit goes to Lipscomb for playing really high level volleyball in sets two and three and majority of set four. What a great statement to find a way to come back in set four and get out to a big lead in set five and pull away to finish the match. Conference season just started, but we're pumped to be 1-0 and have another huge one with FGCU next Friday."
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: 
· With the victory over Lipscomb, this is the third season in a row that the Owls have beaten the Bisons. This was the first time that Kennesaw State has beaten them in the KSU Convocation Center.
· KSU had four players in double figures for kills tonight. Led by Anaiah Boyer and Maddie Jones with 13, Liesl Engelbrecht and Sydni Shelton each had 11.
· Both teams had six service aces in the match, but Lipscomb had 20 service errors.
· This is the sixth year in a row that KSU has started 1-0 in ASUN play.
· Rachel Taylor stepped up for the Owls tonight finishing with eight blocks. She also had four kills with no errors.
· A big part of racing out to the lead in the fifth set was Kristi Piedimonte serving the ball. For the match, she finished with five of KSU's six aces.
 
UP NEXT
Kennesaw State will stay at home and face FGCU on Friday, September 29 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 on Facebook.
 
It is free admission to all home volleyball matches for the Owls.