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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team recorded a season-high 21 blocks to pull off a huge five-set victory at Lipscomb, 29-31, 25-14, 27-25, 22-25, 15-9, Wednesday night and remain undefeated in the ASUN, taking sole possession of first place.
 
Four Owls recorded at least five blocks on the night as KSU's 21 total blocks against the Bison broke the all-time record for blocks in a five-set match.
 
Lauren Chastang and Quin Sutphin each recorded double-doubles as Chastang logged 21 kills and 19 digs while Sutphin became the first Owl in history to record a double-double with blocks and digs, finishing with 11 kills and an all-time single-match record 12 blocks.
 
How it happened: Lispcomb (11-9, 6-2) gained the upper hand early, jumping out to a 7-2 lead before KSU (17-4, 8-0) called a timeout. The Owls eventually pulled in front, 14-13, following a 3-0 run capped off by a kill from Lexi Broadwater.
 
The two teams proceeded to trade points as neither one could gain separation. The Owls and Bisons found themselves deadlocked at 29-29 following a kill from Sydni Shelton, but Lipscomb managed to pull out the win with a kill and a block to take the set, 31-29.
 
The opening set saw 16 ties and eight lead changes.
 
KSU flipped a switch in the second set, utilizing a 7-1 run to take an early 9-4 lead. The Owls built their lead to as high as 10 points, 19-9, following a kill from Chastang.
 
The Owls maintained their 10-point lead the rest of the way, capping off the set with a block from Sutphin and Shelton to win 25-14. KSU recorded six blocks in the second set, holding Lipscomb to a -.105 hitting percentage.
 
It was another back-and-forth start to open the third set as both teams found themselves tied 13-13. KSU managed to earn some breathing room behind three straight kills from Chastang to take a 19-15 lead. The Owls kept Lipscomb at bay, earning set point 24-22, but the Bison fought off back-to-back set points to tie it up 24-24.
 
After trading points, KSU managed to close out the set, 27-25, following an error from Lipscomb and a kill from Chastang to take a 2-1 lead. Chastang and Shelton came up big for KSU in the third set, combining for 12 kills while Sutphin recorded five of her 12 blocks in the third.
 
Both teams battled to open the fourth set with KSU eventually pulling ahead, 15-11, following an ace from Jessie Cohen, the lone ace of the night for the Owls. Lipscomb answered with a 5-0 run to retake the lead, eventually building it to as high as 20-17.
 
The Bison maintained their lead as a kill from Lipscomb's Carlyle Nusbaum clinched the set victory, 25-22, to send the match to a fifth set.
 
In the fifth, KSU clawed their way in front, 9-4, following a 4-0 run which featured two kills each from Chastang and Dani Ballou. The Owls kept their foot on the gas, hitting .444 in the fifth and committing zero errors to cruise to a 15-9 victory.
 
Notes: The Owls' eight wins marks the best start to conference play in KSU history … This is only the second time in history the Owls have recorded 20 or more blocks, the other being the all-time record of 22.5 set against Lipscomb last season … KSU's 65 kills, 63 assists and 77 digs are all season-highs … With her career-high 58 assists, Lexi Broadwater moves into eighth on the KSU single-season record list with 910 assists on the year … Lauren Chastang recorded her 300th kill of the season against the Bison, placing her in a tie for 10th on the KSU single-season record list … Quin Sutphin jumped to fourth on the KSU single-season blocks list with 90 on the year … Four Owls recorded 10 or more digs on the night, Karlee Groover (19), Lauren Chastang (19), Karla Radillo (13) and Bri Becerra (10) … Sydni Shelton finished the match with 14 kills, seven blocks and six digs.
 
Quotes: Head Coach Keith Schunzel
On the five-set win…
"No matter how you spin this one, winning at Lipscomb is always something to be excited about. At times tonight we played really clean, high level volleyball and other times we really struggled to find our rhythm. It was neat to watch us play an aggressive lights out fifth set with 12 kills and no errors, and that says a lot about our team."
 
On big a trio of big performances…
"Really pumped about the matches Chastang, Sutphin and Shelton delivered tonight. All three killed the ball at a high rate, blocked a ton of balls and came up with big swing after big swing in huge moments."
 
On KSU's blocking performance…
"For us to put up 21 blocks is obviously an exceptional number. We did a good job of staying really disciplined and blocking with aggressive intent tonight, which resulted in a tremendous performance up front."
 
Up next: KSU returns to the Convocation Center for a pair of matches against North Alabama Friday at 7 p.m., followed by NJIT Sunday at 2 p.m.