Friday, Sept. 21
6 p.m. – Kennesaw State at NJIT
Location: Newark, N.J. | NJIT Wellness and Events Center

Sunday, Sept. 23
3 p.m. – Kennesaw State at North Alabama
Location: Florence, Ala. | Flowers Hall

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

Match Preview
The Kennesaw State volleyball team opens conference play on the road this weekend, traveling to New Jersey to take on NJIT Friday at 6 p.m., in its ASUN opener. Following Friday's match, the Owls square off against the newest addition to the ASUN conference, North Alabama, Sunday at 3 p.m.

The Highlanders head into conference play with a 1-12 record, riding an eight-match losing streak. NJIT's only win on the year was a four-set victory over Delaware State.

NJIT has one of the top defensive specialists in the league this season in senior Adriana Nieto. The Toa Alta, Puerto Rico native is currently averaging 5.35 digs per set to lead the ASUN and rank 22nd in the NCAA.

The Owls will take on UNA for the first time in program history in their second match of the weekend. The Lions fell to Lipscomb, 3-0, in their inaugural ASUN match, dropping them to 2-8 on the year. 

UNA is led by sophomore Christina Ellwanger who is the only Lion with more than 100 kills on the year (106). Her 2.86 kills per set ranks eighth in the ASUN.

Last Time Out
The Owls closed out their non-conference slate in spectacular fashion, winning all three of their matches at the Troy Classic.

KSU barreled through Florida A&M in its tournament opener, sweeping the Rattlers 3-0. As a team, the Owls hit .295 for the match while holding FAMU to .058, the lowest opponent hitting percentage of the season. Liesl Engelbrecht was a big factor in KSU's dominance, hitting a blistering .632 with 14 kills and three blocks. Lauren Chastang and Lexi Broadwater both recorded double-doubles in the match with 14 kills and 11 digs, and 35 assists and 12 digs, respectively.

The Owls rallied back to win in five sets in both of their final two matches at the tournament, trading sets with hosts Troy in the Friday nightcap.

KSU had to battle back after dropping the first and third sets to the Trojans in order to force a fifth set. Troy took an early lead by taking advantage of KSU errors, building an 11-2 lead in the opening set, and riding that lead to a first set victory. In the second set, the Owls ripped off a 6-1 run midway through the set to take a 21-16 advantage, eventually winning the set.

The Trojans pulled back in front after gaining the edge in a tight third set, winning 25-21. Needing a rally to force a fifth set, KSU fought to take a 12-8 lead following a 6-1 run. The Owls kept the pressure on, leading 20-15, and capping off the set with a 5-0 run thanks to two aces from freshman Jessie Cohen.

Troy looked to put it away in the final set, taking an early 4-1 lead, but seniors Sydni Shelton and Engelbrecht answered, combining to score five of KSU's six points during a 6-0 run to take the lead, 8-5. Momentum on their side, the Owls closed out the set on another 6-0 run to win the match.

It was a similar story in KSU's final match of the tournament against Jacksonville State. After dropping two back-and-forth sets to the Gamecocks, the Owls came out of intermission locked in.

KSU powered its way to a 14-3 lead in the third set following a 6-0 run. The Owls kept the tempo up the rest of the set, recording a dominant 25-12 victory while hitting .400 for the set. JSU attempted to close out the match in another back-and-forth set, but KSU gained the edge thanks to a 5-0 run. Up 17-13, KSU was able to keep the Gamecocks at bay and force a fifth set.

In the deciding set, Chastang came out swinging recording five straight kills to give KSU a 7-0 lead. Jacksonville State would come back to tie the set, 9-9. The set remained deadlocked, 13-13, until an ace from Karla Radillo, followed by a block from Broadwater and Engelbrecht sealed the match, giving KSU its second five-set victory in as many days. 

Starting Off Strong
The Owls have been very successful in their conference openers in the past. Since the program's inception in 2006, KSU has lost only four conference openers, all to teams who are no longer in the ASUN.

KSU has not lost its conference opening match since 2011, falling to then-member Belmont 3-1. The upcoming trip marks the first time the Owls and Highlanders will square off in their respective conference openers.

Filling Up The Trophy Case
Four Owls garnered acclaim after their performances over the past week. 

Sophomore Lauren Chastang took home both tournament MVP honors as well as her second ASUN Player of the Week award of the season. Chastang kept her double-digit kill streak alive, averaging 13.7 kills per match at the Troy Classic and 15 kills over KSU's four matches this past week. She has now recorded 10 or more kills in 11 straight matches, and 12 of KSU's 13 matches. Chastang also recorded back-to-back double-doubles on the week with 10 digs and a career-high 19 kills against Auburn followed by 14 kills and 11 digs in KSU's tournament opener against Florida A&M. Her 183 kills on the year currently ranks third in the ASUN, one kill shy of the two-way tie between Lipscomb's Carlyle Nusbaum and UNF's Taryn Griffey.

Freshman Dani Ballou earned her first award as an Owl this past week after being named the ASUN Freshman of the Week. Ballou has risen to the challenge after stepping in to replace an injured Maddie Jones, opening the past week with a career-high 10 kills against Auburn. The Clearwater, Fla., native earned her first career starts at the Troy Classic, racking up 19 kills, 10 digs and three blocks during the tournament.

Senior Sydni Shelton and sophomore Karlee Groover also walked away from the Troy Classic with some hardware after being named to the all-tournament team. Shelton's efficiency shined bright during the Alabama tournament, hitting .342 to lead the team while recording 34 kills, including a season-high 19 kills against JSU, and 13 blocks. 

Groover was a major key in the Owls' defense, racking up 55 digs during KSU's three matches, including back-to-back 20+ dig performances against Troy and Jacksonville State. She averaged 4.23 digs per set, adding 12 assists during the tournament.

Set'Em Up, Knock'Em Down
Junior Lexi Broadwater continues to set the Owls up for success in her first year as KSU's full-time setter. She averaged 40.3 assists per match at the Troy Classic, closing out the tournament with 48 assists against Jacksonville State, her eighth match of the year with 40 or more assists.

Following her performance over the past weekend, Broadwater is now 10th on the all-time single-season assists list with 554 total assists on the year. The Fayetteville, Ga., native leads the ASUN in total assists and ranks fifth in the country. 

She is currently assisting at a blazing pace of 10.26 assists per set, which leads the conference. For her career, Broadwater has accumulated 642 assists which ranks sixth on the all-time career list at KSU, just behind Tara Dillon (2006-08) with 684.

A Brick Wall
Heading into conference play, the Owls are one of the top blocking teams in the ASUN. As a team, KSU is averaging 2.48 blocks per set to lead the conference. The Owls' 134 total blocks is second only to Stetson (135) in the ASUN and ranks seventh in the nation.

KSU's blocking production is due in large part to senior Liesl Engelbrecht and sophomore Quin Sutphin. Together, they are currently two of the top three blockers in the ASUN. Sutphin ranks second with a 1.16 blocks per set average, while Engelbrecht is third with a 1.15 average. Combined, Engelbrecht and Sutphin are responsible for nearly half of KSU's total blocks on the year.

Engelbrecht was one block away from tying the KSU single-game record, which she set against Lipscomb last season, recording 10 blocks in the Owls' five-set victory over Troy. She leads the team with 60 on the year, which ranks second in the ASUN and 25th in the country. She has recorded four or more blocks in nine matches this season, and seven of the last eight matches. 

Over the weekend, Engelbrecht became the first Owl to break 300 blocks in her career, accumulating 306 blocks over her three and a half years at KSU. She holds the record for career blocks by more than 50 with the next closest Owl, Rachel Taylor (2014-17), registering 251 blocks during her tenure.

After recording only 11 blocks her freshman season, Sutphin has been on a tear as of late. She has recorded six or more blocks in three of the last four matches, including a career-high eight blocks at Troy. Her 52 total blocks on the year ranks fifth in the ASUN, making her the highest ranked underclassmen in the conference.

Maximizing Efficiency
Senior Sydni Shelton is on track to have one of the best hitting performances of her career this season. She currently leads the team with an impressive .311 hitting percentage, which ranks eighth in the conference. Of the seven players ahead of Shelton, only two have registered more kills. 

The Danville, Ala., native shined in the Troy Classic, closing out the three-match stretch hitting .342. In the tournament finale against Jacksonville State, Shelton came alive for a season-high 19 kills while hitting .500 for the match.

Shelton has hit over .300 in seven matches this season. If she continues at this pace, she will rank sixth in KSU single-season history.

Next Up
Following this weekend's matches, The Owls will return to the Convocation Center for their first ASUN home matches of the season, hosting Stetson Friday (Sept. 28) at 7 p.m., followed by North Florida Sunday (Sept. 30) at 1 p.m.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 183, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 554, Lexi Broadwater
Digs: 213, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 60, Liesl Engelbrecht​​​​​​​
Aces: 15, Lexi Broadwater and Karlee Groover
Attack Percentage: .311, Sydni Shelton

For more information on Kennesaw State athletics, follow @KSUOwlNation on Twitter or like Kennesaw State Owls on Facebook and Instagram.

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