Friday, Oct. 5
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (13-4, 4-0) at FGCU (11-5, 4-0)
Location: Fort Myers, Fla. | Alico Arena

Sunday, Oct. 7
1 p.m. – Kennesaw State (13-4, 4-0) at Liberty (7-10, 4-0)
Location: Lynchburg, Va. | Vines Center

Match 1 – Live Stats | Live Stream
Match 2 – Live Stats | Live Stream
Match Notes

Match Preview
The Kennesaw State volleyball team readies itself for the biggest challenge of the conference season this weekend, squaring off against two of the three other undefeated teams in the ASUN.

The Owls first head to Florida Gulf Coast in a rematch of last season's ASUN Championship match. While KSU won all three meetings against the Eagles last season, FGCU still maintains a 13-9 all-time series lead over the Owls.

FGCU returned all but one player from last year's squad that went 22-10 and 10-4 in conference. So far, the Eagles are 11-5 overall and 4-0 in the ASUN. 

Led by Sharonda Pickering's ASUN-leading .451 hitting percentage, the Eagles have the top hitting percentage in the conference at .258. FGCU has also been holding opposing teams to a .127 hitting percentage to lead the conference.

In the Owls second match of the weekend they head to Liberty to face the Flames for only the second time in program history. Liberty has been a big addition to the ASUN this year going undefeated through their first four conference matches.

The Flames are led by first year head coach Trevor Johnson who spent the previous two seasons as an assistant at Texas A&M.

On the court, junior Anna Gragg leads the team, ranking among the top-10 in the ASUN for hitting percentage (No. 4), total blocks (No. 6) and aces (No. 6). 

Last Time Out
The Owls remained undefeated in the ASUN, defeating Stetson and North Florida last weekend. 

KSU was dominant from the onset against the Hatters, jumping out to a 7-3 lead in the opening set. Stetson pulled back to within one midway through the set, but an 8-1 run from KSU closed it out to give the Owls a 25-16 win in the first set.

After a back-and-forth start to open the second set, the Owls put their foot on the gas, utilizing a 6-0 run to take a 15-8 lead. KSU kept the Hatters at bay the rest of the set to earn a 25-18 victory.

The Owls kept their momentum going in the third set, building a 12-3 lead. KSU had a tremendous .457 hitting percentage in the third set to cruise to a 25-13 win and their third straight sweep.

In the second match of the weekend, the Owls raced out to a 9-3 lead against UNF to open the match. The Ospreys battled back to within two, 17-15, following a 6-0 run. KSU attempted to close out the set, leading 22-18, but UNF pulled in front to win the set following a 7-1 run, capped off by four straight errors from the Owls.

Looking to bounce back, KSU grabbed the first four points of the set, pushing its lead to 9-3. The Owls maintained their lead the rest of the way, thanks in large part to Quin Sutphin who recorded three kills and five of her eight total blocks in the second set. Two of those blocks came during KSU's 5-0 run to close the set and even the match.

In the third set, the Owls recorded a .444 hitting percentage on their way to a 20-12 lead. UNF attempted to mount a comeback, fighting of two set points to make it 24-18, but a kill from Sydni Shelton clinched the set victory.

The Owls and Ospreys went point-for-point deep into the fourth set tied 17-17. KSU pulled away following a 6-1 run to make it 21-17. Both teams continued to trade points as UNF attempted to tie the set once again, but Lauren Chastang stymied those hopes with a big kill to clinch the set and the match.

Setting The Standard
A little over halfway through the season, the Owls are among the ASUN's best and have begun to climb their way into single-season history at KSU.

KSU leads the conference and ranks 16th in the nation with 165 total blocks. That mark is tied for 10th all-time in a single-season with KSU's 2011 total. If the Owls continue to block at their current clip of 9.7 blocks per game, they will shatter the current record of 234 by more than 50 blocks.

The Owls lead the conference and rank among the NCAA's top-20 teams for service aces (No. 18), with 105 on the year. KSU needs 20 more aces to crack the single-season record list.

KSU also ranks second in the league, and top-25 in the NCAA, for opponent hitting percentage (.156), total assists (840) and total kills (891). 

What's All The HullaBallou?
Freshman Dani Ballou earned her second ASUN Freshman of the Week honor this past Monday. The Clearwater, Fla., native totaled 22 kills against Stetson and North Florida, logging a career-high 13 against UNF. 

This is the first time an Owl has received multiple freshman of the week awards since Sydni Shelton in 2015. Shelton was named freshman of the week four times during the season, on her way to garnering All-ASUN Second Team honors. 

Ballou needs only 21 more kills to become the sixth freshman in KSU history to record over 100 kills in their inaugural season.

Let's Have A Block Party!
With their 12 blocks against UNF, the Owls recorded their eighth match of the season with 10 or more blocks. As a team, KSU is averaging 2.46 blocks per set to rank second in the conference, trailing upcoming opponent FGCU (2.58). 

KSU owes a large part of its blocking prowess to its middle blocker duo of sophomore Quin Sutphin and senior Liesl Engelbrecht who rank second and third, respectively, in the ASUN for total blocks. 

Sutphin had a huge night in KSU's last outing against North Florida, tying her career-high with eight total blocks. She also matched the KSU single-game record for the third time this season with three solo blocks. Sutphin currently leads the team with 70 total blocks, making her one of two players in the ASUN with 70 or more blocks. The other being North Florida's Taryn Griffey who has 86 with six more matches played.

Already KSU's all-time career blocks leader, Engelbrecht is the first Owl in history to record over 300 blocks. She currently has 314 career blocks, nearly 100 more blocks than Rachel Taylor (223) who is second all-time. She is also the all-time career leader in block assists (275) while second in career solo blocks (39). Engelbrecht ranks tied for third in the ASUN with 68 blocks this season.

Both Engelbrecht and Sutphin are currently averaging over one block per set. If they continue at that pace, they would be two of five players in KSU history to record a single-season average of over one block per set.

KSU is the only team in the ASUN with three players ranked in the top-10 for total blocks. Following Engelbrecht and Sutphin, Sydni Shelton is ranked 10th with 46 blocks. 

Five Owls have recorded 30 or more blocks so far this season.

Setting Herself Up For Greatness
Junior Lexi Broadwater recorded her 10th match of the season with 40 or more kills in KSU's last outing against North Florida. Her 713 total assists this season leads the ASUN by nearly 40 more than the next closest player and almost 200 more than the No. 3 player in the ASUN. Broadwater ranks 12th in the NCAA for total assists. 

The Fayetteville, Ga., native moved up to ninth in KSU single-season history, passing Rachel Albright (2009). With her 46 assists against UNF, Broadwater became the fifth Owl in history to record over 800 assists in their career (801). She currently ranks fifth all-time at KSU for career assists.

Currently, she is the only setter in the ASUN averaging over 10 assists per set (10.47). Her current average would rank third in single-season history. 

Killing The Game
Sophomore Lauren Chastang continues to plague opposing teams, ranking third in the conference with 235 total kills. Chastang is one of four players in the conference to average over three kills per set. 

So far this season, Chastang has recorded 10 or more kills in all but one match, including the last 15 straight. A two-time ASUN Player of the Week already this season, she is averaging 13.8 kills per match. Her current average of 3.48 kills per set would rank fourth in KSU single-season history. 

Maximizing Efficiency
The Owls are making the most of their chances so far this season with a .246 hitting percentage, placing them second in the ASUN. The current percentage would rank first in single-season history, surpassing last year's mark of .230. 

Senior Sydni Shelton leads the way for the Owls with an impressive .310 hitting percentage, which ranks sixth in the conference. Of the five players ahead of Shelton, only one has registered more than 100 kills - Anna Gragg of Liberty (125). 

Shelton has hit over .300 in eight matches this season, three over .500. If she continues at this pace, she will rank among the top-10 in KSU single-season history.

Four Owls are currently hitting at a clip above .250, Shelton, Liesl Engelbrecht (.290), Lexi Broadwater (.271) and Quin Sutphin (.267).

On the flipside, the Owls are one of the top defensive teams in the country, holding opposing teams to a .156 hitting percentage. Only six teams have recorded a hitting percentage of over .200 against KSU with four teams hitting below .100. The Owls are second in the conference for opponent hitting percentage, trailing upcoming opponent FGCU (.127), and 24th in the NCAA.

Next Up
Following this weekend's matches, KSU returns to the Convocation Center for the annual Griffin's Game, Friday (Oct. 12), hosting Jacksonville at 7 p.m.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 235, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 713, Lexi Broadwater​​​​​​​
Digs: 266, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 70, Quin Sutphin​​​​​​​
Aces: 22, Lexi Broadwater​​​​​​​
Attack Percentage: .310, Sydni Shelton

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