Friday, Oct. 12
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (15-4, 6-0) vs. Jacksonville (2-16, 1-5)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center

Match 1 – Live Stats | ESPN+
Match Notes

Match Preview
The Kennesaw State volleyball team is back in the Convocation Center for its lone match of the week, hosting Jacksonville for the annual Griffin's Game.
Jacksonville is 2-16 on the year and 1-5 in conference play with its two wins coming against Alabama A&M and North Alabama.

The Dolphins are under the direction of first-year head coach Evan Muys, who spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at Dayton.

Jacksonville is one of the top serving teams in the conference, along with KSU, tied for first in the ASUN with 116 service aces. Three of the top six players in the league for aces are on the Jacksonville squad. Junior Mallory Mattingly leads the conference with 26 aces. Mattingly also ranks fourth in the league with 246 total kills so far this season.

Griffin's Game


Friday's match is one that Head Coach Keith Schunzel, his wife, Volunteer Assistant Coach Briana Schunzel, and the entire KSU volleyball staff hold very dear. It is the fourth annual Griffin's Game.

Beginning in 2015, Griffin's Game has become a tradition of giving hope and support to a local family going through the struggles of dealing with pediatric cancer. After their son, Griffin, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in March of 2015, the Schunzels were amazed by the outpouring of love and support they received from the community, and they wanted to be able to give that back to others in need.

Each year a specific family is honored, with all donations and proceeds from T-shirt sales going directly to them. This year five-year-old Rubi Brunsman is the guest of honor. Rubi was diagnosed with ALL, the same condition as Griffin, in August. She has begun treatment and chemotherapy at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, but still has a long road ahead of her.

Rubi and her sister Ella, along with their grandparents who adopted them at a young age, will be at the Convocation Center Friday night to be recognized and help cheer the Owls on to victory. Show your support for Rubi and her family at the match or at kennesaw.ignitecx.com/GriffinsGame2018.

Last Time Out
The Owls had arguably their best all-around performance of the season this past weekend, defeating FGCU and Liberty on the road to remain the sole undefeated team left in the ASUN.

In a rematch of last year's ASUN Tournament Championship, KSU and FGCU had another tremendous battle. Three Owls recorded 10 or more kills, led by Quin Sutphin with a career-high 17.

KSU cruised early in the opening set against the Eagles, building its lead to as high as 21-12 following a 4-0 run capped off by an ace from Karlee Groover. The Eagles tried to mount a comeback with a late 5-0 run, but KSU shut the door to win the set 25-20.

The second set was a much closer affair as both teams traded points deep into the set, tied 20-20. Neither team could gain separation deadlocked at 25-25, but an error from FGCU followed by a kill from Sutphin gave the Owls a 27-25 win.

Out of the intermission, the two teams battled with FGCU holding a slim 14-12 advantage. The Eagles then went on a 6-0 run to take a 20-12 lead. KSU pulled to within five, 21-16, but the Eagles capped off the set on a 4-0 run to force a fourth set.

KSU opened the fourth set on a tear, taking a 6-1 lead and building it to as high as 14-6 following a 6-0 run. With KSU leading 22-14, FGCU rattled off a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the set, 23-22. The Owls fended off the late rally from the Eagles with a 4-1 run to win the set, 26-24, and the match.

In KSU's second match of the weekend, the Owls took it straight to the newest ASUN member Liberty. KSU jumped out to a 6-0 lead, riding that margin throughout most of the set, up 20-15. A 5-0 run from the Lady Flames tied the set at 20-20. The Owls earned set point, 24-21, but Liberty fought off three straight points to tie it back up 24-24. LU closed out the set on a 3-0 run to clinch the comeback, 27-25.

KSU bounced back in the second set, utilizing a 7-0 run, which featured three aces from Groover, to take a 20-9 lead. Back-to-back errors from LU secured the set win for the Owls, 25-14.

The Owls continued to roll in the third set, earning a 14-7 lead midway through. Freshman Dani Ballou capped off the set for KSU recording four of the final five points to earn a 25-14 set victory.

KSU looked to close out the match in the same fashion, leading by as much as 20-12 late in the fourth set. Liberty chipped away at the Owls lead, getting to within two, 24-22, but a kill from Lauren Chastang clinched the match victory.

Building Blocks Towards Success
Kennesaw State remains one of the top blocking teams in the ASUN and in the nation. The Owls have logged 182 total blocks so far this year to rank second in the conference and 24th in the NCAA. KSU's current mark is good enough for eighth on the all-time single-season list. The Owls current rate of 2.43 blocks per set ranks third in the league and would rank first in a single-season, surpassing last year's mark of 2.32.

Three Owls are currently ranked in the ASUN's top-10 for total blocks, Liesl Engelbrecht (No. 4), Quin Sutphin (No. 6) and Sydni Shelton (No. 10). The trio has combined for 118 of KSU's total blocks this year.

Engelbrecht leads the way with 77 blocks, placing her in a tie for eighth on the KSU single-season list. She is also KSU's career blocks (323) and block assists (280) leader while ranking second in solo blocks (43). The Duluth, Ga., native is the only Owl in history to record over 300 blocks in her career.

Sutphin is second on the team with 74 blocks and ranks second in the conference with a 1.17 blocks per set average. All in all, five Owls have recorded at least 30 blocks on the year.

Setting The Tone
Junior Lexi Broadwater continues to set at a record pace this year, moving into the nation's top-10 following this past weekend. Broadwater ranks seventh in the NCAA with 814 assists on the year. She is the only player in the ASUN with over 700 assists, with only two other players above 600. She is the second fastest Owl in history to reach 800 assists in a season (75 sets).

Broadwater is currently ninth on the KSU single-season list and fifth on the career assists list with 902. Broadwater is one of five players in KSU history to log over 900 assists in her career.

Broadwater has recorded over 50 assists in the last two matches, tying her career high of 51 for the third time this season in KSU's last match at Liberty. She has recorded 40 or more assists in 12 matches this season, setting at a clip of 10.85 assists per set. That average leads the ASUN and ranks 31st nationally.  

Killing The Game
Sophomore Lauren Chastang took her already stellar season to another level in KSU's last match at Liberty, recording a career-high 23 kills with a .372 hitting percentage. It was the first time an Owl has recorded 20 or more kills since Maddie Jones' 20 kills against Illinois State in September of last season.

Chastang is tied for first in the conference, 38th in the NCAA, with 271 total kills, having recorded double-digit kills in all but one match, and the last 17 straight. She needs just 29 kills to crack the KSU single-season top-10 list. She is currently one of four players in the conference to average over three kills per set.

The BayMinette, Ala., native recorded back-to-back double-doubles in the last two matches, her eighth and ninth of the season, on her way to being named the ASUN Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this year.

Digging The Owls Out Of Trouble
Sophomore Karlee Groover earned her first career ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honor this past Monday. Groover was dynamite for the Owls recording 43 total digs over the weekend, including a career-high 24 at FGCU. The Newnan, Ga., native ranks fourth in the league for total digs (309) and digs per set (4.12). She is one of four players in the conference to average over four digs per set. Groover needs just 18 more digs to crack the KSU single-season top-10.

Giving 110%
The Owls are one of the top hitting teams in the ASUN both offensively and defensively. KSU has a .243 hitting percentage on the year, ranking second in the conference. It also marks the best single-season hitting percentage in KSU history. Five Owls are currently hitting above .250, led by Liesl Engelbrecht who is currently hitting .301 on the year.

Defensively, the Owls are suffocating opponents, holding them to a .156 hitting percentage. That mark is good enough for second in the conference and 21st in the NCAA. The Owls have held 13 opponents below a .200 hitting percentage, and four under .100.

Owls on ESPN+
Friday's match will air live on ESPN+. Fans can purchase the digital platform for $4.99 a month or $49.99 for a year's subscription that provides access to all events broadcast on the network.

Next Up
Following Friday's match, the Owls hit the road for a midweek match at Lipscomb next Wednesday (Oct. 17) at 7:30 p.m.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 271, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 814, Lexi Broadwater
Digs: 309, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 77, Liesl Engelbrecht
Aces: 24, Lexi Broadwater
Attack Percentage: .301, Liesl Engelbrecht
 

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