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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team powered its way through a hard fought match to defeat Florida Gulf Coast in four sets, 25-10, 27-25, 16-25, 26-24, and remain undefeated in the ASUN Friday evening.

Three Owls recorded 10 or more kills against the Eagles, led by sophomore Quin Sutphin who logged a career-high 17 kills. Lauren Chastang (13 kills, 16 digs) and junior Lexi Broadwater (50 assists, 10 digs) each recorded double-doubles on the night.

How it happened:Freshman Dani Ballou got the Owls (14-4, 5-0) started off on the right foot, recording three kills to spark a 5-0 run to open the match. KSU pushed its lead to as high as nine points, 16-7, following a 4-0 run capped off by back-to-back blocks from Sydni Shelton and Sutphin.

FGCU (11-6, 4-1) attempted to cut into KSU's lead with a 4-0 run, but the Owls responded with a 5-1 run of their own to lead 21-12. Leading 23-14, the Owls let FGCU creep back into the set, committing three straight errors to spark a 5-0 run for the Eagles. KSU would eventually close out the set, 25-20, to take a 1-0 advantage.

Every point was hard fought in the second set as neither team could gain more than a two-point lead locked at 15-15. An error from FGCU then sparked a 5-0 run for the Owls to give KSU a 20-15 lead, but the Eagles answered immediately with a similar run to even the match once again, 20-20.

Going point-for-point, the Owls earned their third set point and would not waste it as Sutphin blasted a kill to win the set, 27-25, and give KSU a 2-0 lead at the break.

The third set was another early grind with both teams tied early, 10-10. A 4-0 run gave FGCU some breathing room, up 14-10. The Eagles built their lead to 20-12 following a 6-0 run. KSU tried to rally, but the Eagles kept the momentum, closing out the set on a 4-0 run to win the set, 25-16.

KSU recorded a .057 hitting percentage in the third set, compared to .286 by FGCU, committing 11 errors.

Determined not to head to a fifth set, the Owls came out firing in the fourth, taking a 6-1 lead thanks to four kills from Chastang. KSU pushed its lead to 14-6 behind a 6-0 run, keeping the Eagles at arm's length throughout the set to lead 22-14.

But FGCU refused to go down without a fight, going on a 9-0 run to take its first lead of the set, 23-22. Sutphin finally broke the Eagles run with a kill, following it up with a solo block to give KSU match point, 24-23. 

FGCU tied it back up 24-24, but another kill from Sutphin followed by a combo block from Shelton and Liesl Engelbrecht clinched the set, 26-24, and the match.

Notes:KSU's 60 kills on the night marks the fourth time this season the Owls have recorded 60 or more kills, and the first in a four-set match … KSU had a season-high 76 digs as five Owls recorded 10 or more digs … The Owls recorded 12 blocks against FGCU, marking the ninth time this season they have logged double-digit blocks … Lauren Chastang extended her double-digit kill streak to 16 matches while recording her eighth double-double of the season with a career-high 16 digs … Lexi Broadwater logged her third match of the season with 50 or more assists (50), recording her sixth double-double of the year, and second straight … Karlee Groover tied her career-high with 24 digs … Liesl Engelbrecht recorded her third straight match with double-digit kills (13), hitting an impressive .429.

Quotes:Head Coach Keith Schunzel
On the close battle…
"That was about as gritty of a win as we've ever had [at FGCU]. I could not be prouder of the fight and resilience we showed tonight against a really, really good FGCU team on their home court."

On FGCU's runs in the third and fourth set…
"Scoring runs happen in this sport, and while it's easy to focus on the negatives when stuff like that happens, tonight I'm just so amazed at our team's ability to stay positive through the ups and downs and constantly fight back and come out on the good side."

Up Next:The Owls look to keep their momentum going, traveling to Liberty Sunday at 1 p.m. The Flames lost their first conference match of the season Friday night to Lipscomb in five sets.