Tuesday, Nov. 5
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (21-6, 12-2) vs. Lipscomb (16-10, 11-3)
Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center
Links – Live Stats | ESPN3 | Match Notes
Match Preview
The Kennesaw State volleyball team looks to bounce back Tuesday, hosting Lipscomb in its final home match of the regular season. With the top three teams in the ASUN all separated by one match, tournament seeding is still very much up for grabs as the Owls look to secure a No. 2 seed and a first round bye with a win.
The Owls and Bison had an instant classic five-set thriller when the two teams met in mid-October. KSU broke the five-set single-match record with 21 blocks in Nashville as Quin Sutphin went off to record 11 kills and 12 blocks, a program first double-double.
Since that match, Lipscomb has run through the ASUN going 5-1, with its only loss coming at the hands of FGCU. The Bison currently sit at third in the conference standings, just behind the Owls.
Lipscomb leads the league averaging 13.91 kills per set and 13.02 assists per set. Carlyle Nusbaum leads the team and the conference with a 4.10 kills per set average, logging 377 total kills on the year. Nusbaum is also second on the team with 285 digs.
Last Time Out
The Owls dropped a hard-fought match to Florida Gulf Coast Sunday, falling in four sets. Both teams battled in a match that saw 39 total ties and 18 lead changes.
In the first set, neither team could break through until a 5-0 run put FGCU up 19-13. KSU chipped away at the Eagles lead to get within two, 22-20, eventually closing out the set on a 5-0 run capped off by a block from Lexi Broadwater and Quin Sutphin to take a one-set lead.
KSU found the edge early in the second set, leading 10-7, but FGCU responded with a 10-1 run to pull in front 17-11. The Owls once again fought back to within two, 22-20, fighting off back-to-back set points by FGCU, but could not pull off another comeback falling 25-22 to even the match.
The third set started off in a similar fashion with both teams tied 9-9. The Eagles then earned the lead with a 3-0 run, 12-9. The Owls eventually broke through with a 6-0 run which featured three kills from Dani Ballou and an ace from Broadwater to lead 20-18. KSU went on to earn set point, 24-22, but three straight errors from the Owls gave FGCU the lead. The Eagles went on to win the set 28-26.
In the fourth set, both teams went point-for-point deep into the set tied 17-17. FGCU earned a slim two-point lead behind a 3-0 run, 19-17, but KSU responded with a 5-1 run to earn a 22-20 advantage. That would be the last points scored for the Owls as FGCU rattled off the next five straight to win the set and the match.
The Block Is Hot
As a team, the Owls have been huge at the net this season recording 243 total blocks to break the all-time single-season record. That mark is good enough for third in the conference. Six players have recorded 20 or more blocks on the year, four with 50 or more.
Sophomore Quin Sutphin and senior Liesl Engelbrecht have been the driving force behind the Owls production, combining for half of KSU's total blocks on the year (121). Sutphin (108) and Engelbrecht (97) rank tied for second and fifth, respectively, in the ASUN for total blocks.
Sutphin broke the all-time single-match record with 12 blocks in KSU's last match against Lipscomb. She also became the first Owl in history to record a double-double with blocks and kills, logging 11 kills to go along with her 12 blocks against the Bison.
Sutphin is the second player in history to hit the century mark for blocks in a single-season. She needs only 5 more blocks to match the KSU record set by Callie Churchwell in 2009 (113). Her current 1.21 blocks per set average ranks second in the conference and would break the single-season record of 1.14 set by Engelbrecht last season.
Sydni Shelton (68), Lauren Chastang (53) and Lexi Broadwater (40) have all stepped their games up this year, recording their highest season block totals in their career. In fact, before the 2018 season, Broadwater had only recorded three total blocks in her career.
Among The Nation's Best
As a team, the Owls are ranked in the NCAA's top-25 in four different categories.
KSU broke 1,000 assists on the year at Lipscomb and are currently ranked 15th in the NCAA with 1,332. That mark ranks fifth in program single-season history.
The Owls have also broken the century mark in total kills, logging 1,421 on the year. That mark is good enough for 18th in the country and first in the league. KSU has logged over 1,400 kills in a season only four other times.
KSU ranks 25th in the country and second in the ASUN this year, holding opponents to a .161 hitting percentage. The Owls have held 18 teams below .200, including five below .100 and one under .000.
The Owls' 154 aces this year leads the conference and ranks 24th in the nation. That mark is also tied for the most in a single-season.
Killing The Game
After being resigned to the back row against NJIT, Sophomore Lauren Chastang has returned with a vengeance logging 49 kills over KSU's last four matches, including two double-doubles.
Chastang recorded her 13th double-double of the season in KSU's recent match against FGCU with 16 kills and 10 digs. It marked the eighth time this season she has recorded 15 or more kills in a match.
With her four digs against NJIT earlier this year, Chastang became the fifth player in program history to record over 300 kills and 200 digs in a single-season. She currently ranks third in the ASUN with 361 total kills and is one of two players in the league with over 300 kills and 250 digs.
With her 16 kills against FGCU, Chastang passed Sabrita Gulley for seventh on the all-time single-season kills record list.
A Grand Celebration
Senior Sydni Shelton moved one step closer to history Sunday afternoon with nine kills against FGCU. Shelton has recorded 983 kills over her four-year career as an Owl. She needs just 17 kills over the next three matches to become just the fourth Owl in history to record over 1,000 kills in their career.
Shelton has been on a tear as of late, recording at least nine kills in four of the last five matches. She has recorded a hitting percentage of over .300 in three of those matches, leading the team with a .299 hitting percentage this season.Â
She ranks second on the team and ninth in the ASUN with 252 kills this season. Shelton is currently averaging 2.45 kills per set and 9.3 kills per match.
Do You Need Assistance?
Junior Lexi Broadwater set a career-high with 58 assists the last time KSU and Lipscomb squared off and she hasn't slowed down since.           Â
The Fayetteville, Ga., native ranks fifth in the NCAA with 1,155 total assists this season. Only 15 players in the country have recorded over 1,100 assists. In the ASUN, only one other player has over 900 assists this year, North Florida's Madilyn McCarty (933) with three more matches played.
Broadwater is just the fifth Owl in history to reach the century mark in a single-season. She is currently tied with Kristi Piedimonte's 2016 total for second all-time in a single-season. Broadwater needs only 50 more assists to set a new single-season record.
Her current clip of 11.21 assists per set ranks 16th in the NCAA. That mark would also make her the first Owl in history with a single-season assists per set average above 11. With 1,243 career assists, Broadwater already ranks fourth on the all-time career assists record list.
She Can Dig It
Sophomore Karlee Groover has been dynamite for the Owls in her first season as the team's libero. Groover has logged 10 or more digs in the last three matches, including a career-high 26 digs in KSU's most recent match against FGCU. She has recorded at least 10 digs in all but four matches with 20 or more in seven matches.
Her 441 digs on the year ranks fourth in the ASUN. She is one of only four players in the league with over 400 digs.
Groover currently ranks sixth on the KSU single-season record list, needing only 16 more digs to surpass Selina O'Leary's mark of 456 from 2009.
The Newnan, Ga., native is currently digging at a clip of 4.28 digs per set. That mark ranks fourth in the ASUN and would place her sixth all-time in a single-season.
Ace In The Hole
With her sole ace against FGCU, Lexi Broadwater tied the KSU single-season record of 37 set by Kristi Piedimonte in 2014. She ranks second in the ASUN and 45th in the NCAA for total aces.
As a team, KSU leads the conference with 154 total aces on the year. The Owls have logged five or more aces in 16 matches with 10 or more in four matches.
KSU's 154 aces ties the program record for aces in a season set in 2016. Seven Owls have recorded 10 or more aces on the year.
What's All The HullaBallou?
Freshman Dani Ballou has been a welcome addition to the KSU rotation this season. The Clearwater, Fla., native has been named the ASUN Freshman of the Week twice already this year.
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 has recorded 156 kills on the year, the third most all-time by a freshman. She has recorded at least eight kills in six of the last seven matches.
Tournament Grounds
Kennesaw State will play hosts to this year's 2018 ASUN Conference Tournament.
The conference tournament is slated to begin Thursday, Nov. 15 with the championship match taking place Saturday, Nov. 17. Single-match tickets are $8 each with a tournament pass costing only $20.
Tickets can be purchased through KSUOwls.com.
Owls on ESPN+
Tuesday'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 Tuesday's match, the Owls will close out the regular season at Jacksonville, taking on the Dolphins Saturday at 6 p.m.
Stat Leaders
Kills: 361, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 1,155, Lexi Broadwater​​​​​​​
Digs: 441, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 108, Quin Sutphin​​​​​​​
Aces: 37, Lexi Broadwater​​​​​​​
Attack Percentage: .299, Sydni Shelton
