Friday, Sept. 7
10:30 a.m. – Kennesaw State at No. 13 Pitt

Saturday, Sept. 8
11 a.m. – Kennesaw State vs. Dayton
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State vs. No. 12 Washington

Location: Pittsburgh, Pa. | Fitzgerald Field House

Match 1 - ACC Network Extra | Live Stats 
Match 2 – Live Stats
Match 3 – Live Stats
Match Notes

Match Preview
The Kennesaw State volleyball team faces its toughest challenge of the season as it hits the road for three matches at the Panther Invitational in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Owls will take on two top-25 teams in No. 13 Pitt and No. 12 Washington, along with a strong Dayton squad that returned 10 players from last year's team that went 23-8.

KSU's first match of the tournament will be a battle of the unbeatens as the Owls take on tournament hosts and undefeated Pitt Friday at 10:30 a.m. As a team, the Panthers rank first in the ACC in hitting percentage (.315) and total kills (300). Pitt lost only two players from last year's team that went 26-7 to win the programs first ACC Championship.

Saturday brings two more big tests for KSU as it opens the day against Dayton at 11 a.m., followed by Washington in the nightcap at 7 p.m.

Dayton heads into the tournament 5-2 overall with their only losses coming against Kansas (3-2) and No. 16 Kentucky (3-0). The Flyers lead the Atlantic 10 in hitting percentage (.269) and kills per set (13.81). A big factor in Dayton's success this season is returning A-10 first-team all-conference honoree Lauren Burns. The senior outside hitter has already racked up 113 kills to lead the conference.

Kennesaw State closes out the weekend with their second top-25 team in Washington. The Huskies head to Pittsburgh following their first loss of the season, 3-1, to Illinois in their last outing. UW lost nearly half their squad from last year's team that went 25-8, earning an NCAA Tournament berth.  

Last Time Out
KSU kept their perfect season alive this past Tuesday downing ACC foe Clemson 3-1.

The Tigers were able to gain the early lead on KSU following an inconsistent first set in which the Owls hit only .068 while committing 11 errors. Despite the slow start, the Owls kept it close climbing to within three, 18-15, but Clemson pulled it out, 25-20, to take a 1-0 lead.

In the second set, the Owls cleaned up their mistakes, jumping out to a 7-3 lead and keeping Clemson at bay the rest of the way. KSU hit .353 for the set, cutting their errors down from 11-4 on its way to a 25-20 set win.

The Owls continued to assert their presence in the third set hitting a phenomenal .447 percent behind sophomore Lauren Chastang's seven kills. Leading 2-1 in the match following a 25-18 win in the third set, the Owls took advantage of Clemson's miscues in the fourth set.

KSU held Clemson to -.037 hitting in the final set to record a big 25-15 victory.

Four Owls, Chastang (18), Sydni Shelton (11), Liesl Engelbrecht (10) and Maddie Jones (10), finished with double-digit kills. Jones and Chastang recorded their third double-double of the season adding 10 digs each. 

History Repeats Itself
With the Owls most recent victory over Clemson, they have matched the program's best start to a season since 2015. When such a feat is accomplished comparisons begin to be drawn and thoughts of the team's potential begin to form. The opportunity for success for this 2018 squad has been built, and it was the 2015 team that poured the foundation.

The 2015 Kennesaw State volleyball team set a new standard for the Owls. Not only did that team start the year a perfect 6-0, but they went 7-2 over their final nine matches to reach the ASUN Tournament. The 2015 Owls recorded the program's first conference tournament victories downing Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast to reach the ASUN Tournament Championship for the first time in history. KSU fell in the final to Lipscomb 3-0, but that year marked a turning point for the volleyball program.

Since that 2015 season the Owls have boasted a 58-25 record, 34-8 in conference play, over the last three years. In that time, KSU has garnered back-to-back ASUN regular season championships, a 2017 ASUN Tournament championship, the first in program history, and the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. 

The progress from 2015 to now is not just in the overall records and accomplishments, it's in the numbers as well. Comparing the stats through the first six matches between the 2015 team and the current roster, the rise is noticeable. The current squad has recorded nearly 100 more kills over the first six matches (315-218) with increases across the board, including kills per set (13.1-12.8), aces per set (2.0-1.8), digs per set (13.4-12.7) and blocks per set (2.3-2.1). 

This rise is due in part to KSU's recent successes and to the influx of standout players it has brought, such as junior setter Lexi Broadwater who signed near the end of the 2015 season. That was followed by a loaded class that includes sophomore outside hitter Lauren Chastang, libero Karlee Groover and middle blocker Quin Sutphin. And the trend looks to be continuing with freshmen Bri Becerra, Jasmine Brown, Jessie Cohen and Dani Ballou already earning significant time on the court. 

KSU's four current seniors, Maddie Jones, Sydni Shelton, Karla Radillo and Liesl Engelbrecht, all played significant roles as freshmen on the 2015 team. Shelton played the most sets of anyone on the team (103) and was second on the team with 292 kills behind KSU standout Anaiah Boyer (302). Engelbrecht established her presence at the net with 61 total blocks, second only to Rachel Taylor (80), and Jones and Radillo helped dig KSU out of trouble with 277 and 127 digs, respectively.  

Those seniors, who have been here from the start, have a chance to once again elevate the high standard they helped set. With the biggest test of the season looming in Pittsburgh, the possibility to continue this historic run will not be easy, but it is a chance that has been four years in the making.

Kennesaw State Team Notes
• The Owls matched their best start in program history following the win over Clemson. KSU began the 2015 season 6-0 before falling to Valparaiso. That squad reached the ASUN Tournament Championship for the first time in school history. 

• The win over Clemson extended KSU's home winning streak to 15 matches. the Owls last home loss was against Lipscomb on Oct. 21, 2016.

• Heading into this weekend's matches KSU is one of 15 schools to have a winning streak of six or more matches to start the season. 

• The Owls have never beaten a ranked opponent. KSU took a set off No. 12 Kentucky last season, but ended up falling 3-1.

• KSU continues to shine from the service line, adding another four aces to their season total in the match against Clemson. As a team, the Owls have recorded 47 aces so far this year to lead the ASUN and rank 20th in the nation. KSU is currently hitting at a clip of 1.96 aces per set, which would rank first in single-season history. A lot of that production is due to junior Lexi Broadwater who leads the team with 12 aces which ranks first in the ASUN and 31st in the NCAA. 

• Senior Liesl Engelbrecht and sophomore Quin Sutphin have put up a wall at the net so far this season. After opening the year with a bang by breaking the KSU career blocks record at the Courtyard by Marriott Samford Invitational, Engelbrecht has recorded six more blocks over the previous two-match span. Her current career blocks total currently stands at 262 and counting. Not to be outdone, Sutphin has already more than doubled her total number of blocks from last season, leading the team with 23 blocks. She has recorded five or more blocks in three of the last four matches, logging a career high seven blocks against High Point. In KSU's most recent match against Clemson, the Fort Mill, S.C., native had three solo blocks, five total, marking nearly half of KSU's seven total solo blocks on the year.

• Sophomore Lauren Chastang has been far from a sophomore slump early in the year. Last season's ASUN all-freshmen team selection has recorded 10 or more kills in all but one match so far this season, finishing with nine against McNeese State. The BayMinette, Ala., native has recorded back-to-back career-high kills against Presbyterian and Clemson logging 18 kills each match. So far this season, Chastang has recorded a double-double in three of the last four matches, falling one dig shy in KSU's match against Presbyterian. She is currently ranked third in the ASUN with 84 total kills. 

• Junior setter Lexi Broadwater had her fourth match this season with 40 more assists in KSU's match against Clemson. With her 45 assists against the Tigers, Broadwater gets one step closer to moving up the top-10 career assists list at KSU. The Fayetteville, Ga., native currently sits at seventh all-time with 342 career assists, just behind Katarina Morton (2014-17) with 369. Her 254 assists so far this season leads the ASUN conference and ranks 37th nationally.

• Four freshmen, Kaylee Morris, Jasmine Brown, Katie Crocker and Dani Ballou, made their first appearances on the court at the Convocation Center against Presbyterian. Brown had a huge night hitting .571 with five kills while also recording one block. Ballou recorded all three of her kills on the night in the fourth set, including the match-clinching point.

Next Up
Following this weekend's tournament play, the Owls will return to the Convocation Center to host Auburn Tuesday (Sept. 11) at 7 p.m.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 84, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 254, Lexi Broadwater
Digs: 94, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 23, Quin Sutphin
Aces: 12, Lexi Broadwater​​​​​​​
Attack Percentage: .339, Liesl Engelbrecht
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To keep up with the latest Kennesaw State volleyball news follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsVB or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.

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