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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team made quick work of North Florida Friday night, sweeping the Ospreys, 25-17, 25-17, 25-20, to open its two-match road swing through Florida.
 
With the win the Owls extend their record winning streak to 14 matches, improving to 20-4 overall and 11-0 in ASUN play.
 
How it happened: After UNF (9-19, 4-8) recorded the opening point, the Owls rattled off the next five straight to take the lead. The Ospreys eventually tied the match 7-7, but a 5-0 run capped of by a kill from senior Sydni Shelton put KSU back in front 13-8.
 
The Owls built their lead to as high as seven points, 17-10, following an ace from Liesl Engelbrecht. KSU maintained that lead the rest of the set as an error from UNF gave KSU a 25-17 victory in the opening frame. 
 
After being resigned to the back row in KSU's last match, Lauren Chastang returned to the front line in a big way with six kills on seven swings for a monstrous .857 hitting percentage in the first set.
 
The Owls jumped out to another 5-1 start in the second set, pushing their lead to 9-3 following a kill from Quin Sutphin. KSU kept the momentum rolling with back-to-back kills from Dani Ballou to give the Owls a 14-5 advantage. 
 
UNF would only get as close as seven points, fighting off three set points by KSU to make it 24-17, but another kill from Ballou closed out the set to give KSU a 2-0 lead.
 
Out of the intermission, the Owls once again took an early lead, 8-4, following a 5-1 run. KSU pulled away with a 4-1 run capped off by kills from Chastang and Sutphin to lead 14-8. From there, both teams traded points the rest of the way, with KSU maintaining a five-point advantage, before a kill from Chastang put the final nail in the coffin, 25-20.
 
Notes: Three Owls finished with double-digit kills led by Lauren Chastang who recorded her 12th double-double of the season with 12 kills and 14 digs … Freshman Dani Ballou finished with 11 kills, marking only the third time in her career she has logged 10 or more kills … Quin Sutphin recorded 10 kills, the third time in the last four matches she has logged double-digit kills … Lexi Broadwater performed in every aspect against the Ospreys, tying her career-high with five kills while adding 43 assists, five digs and two aces … Broadwater's 43 assists is tied for third most all-time in a three set match … Broadwater has now recorded 1,024 assists on the year, making her only the fifth Owl in history with over 1,000 assists in a single-season … Sydni Shelton finished the match with nine kills, her fourth match in a row with eight or more kills … As a team, the Owls recorded a .327 hitting percentage, marking the second straight match, eighth this season, hitting above .300.
 
Quotes: Head Coach Keith Schunzel
On the team's all-around performance…
"I'm always proud of our players and proud to be the head coach of Kennesaw State volleyball, but tonight I had goose bumps watching our team do what we just did. The way we prepared, played free and loose, competed and stayed locked in the entire match is what a coach dreams about when you go on the road against good teams. UNF has improved dramatically as this season has gone on, but our team came to play tonight in a big way."
 
On the play of Dani Ballou and Lexi Broadwater…
"We had a handful of big time performances, but Dani Ballou played a terrific game on the left against a big block, and Lexi played a near flawless game at the setting position and was in complete control of our team and this match."
 
On the quick turnaround of playing Stetson Saturday…
"Tomorrow we play another team in Stetson who has gotten a lot better as the year goes on, so we need to get to DeLand, get some rest and prepare to battle again."
 
Up next: The Owls will have to get re-focused quickly, taking on Stetson Saturday at 6 p.m.