Tuesday, Sept. 17
8 p.m. ET – Kennesaw State (6-3) at Alabama (8-1)

Location: Tuscaloosa, Ala. | Foster Auditorium
Links: Live Stats | SECN+
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram
Notes: KSU 

Quick Hits
» The Kennesaw State volleyball team opens a four-match road swing Tuesday night, heading to Tuscaloosa to challenge SEC foe Alabama at 8 p.m. ET. The match marks the first ever meeting between the Owls and the Tide. KSU is looking for its third victory in program history over an SEC squad after defeating Georgia in 2017 and Mississippi State in 2012.

» Lauren Chastang returns to her home state Tuesday looking to continue her season dominance after recording her sixth and seventh double-doubles of the season this past weekend. She opened the Owl invitational with 18 kills and 20 digs, her second match this year with 20 or more digs, before logging 22 kills and 16 digs against South Alabama. Chastang has recorded 20 or more kills in two matches this year, ranked second in the ASUN with 138 total kills.  

» As a team, the Owls are one of two teams in the league to average over 13 kills per set (13.36), leading the league with 521 total kills. If that average continues, it would mark the third straight season KSU has averaged over 13 kills per set. The past two seasons marked the first times in program history the Owls have averaged over 13 kills per set in a season.

» Lexi Broadwater recorded her second match this season with over 60 assists against South Alabama, logging 60. She has recorded 50 or more assists in three of the last four matches. Broadwater leads the conference with 421 total assists while ranked second with a 10.79 assists per set average. 

» The Owls have been deadly from the service line so far this season, leading the league with 69 total aces. Four Owls rank among the league's top-10 for aces with Lauren Chastang and Karlee Groover ranked first and third with 17 and 15 aces respectively. Bri Becerra and Lexi Broadwater are currently tied for seventh with 10 aces a piece.

» Karlee Groover has recorded 20 or more digs in three of the last four matches to lead the Owls with 166 total digs this season. She currently ranks fifth in the ASUN averaging 4.26 digs per set. As a team, KSU is the only squad to record over 500 digs so far this year, ranked second averaging 14.49 per set. 

» Jasmine Brown is coming off a career weekend, recording a career-high six blocks against Samford before setting a new career mark with 14 kills against South Alabama. She needs just one more kill to hit the century mark for career kills.

Killing The Game
The Owls have been crushing it so far this season, racking up 521 total kills to lead the ASUN. KSU is one of two teams in the league to average over 13 kills per set (13.36).

The Owls are on track to break the single-season record for kills set last season. KSU has nearly 50 more kills through the first nine matches than this point in 2018. If maintained it would mark the third straight season, third time in program history, KSU has averaged over 13 kills per set in a season.

So far this year, KSU has recorded over 70 kills in three matches, Georgia Tech, Furman and Samford. Before the season, KSU had only recorded over 70 kills in eight matches all-time, the most recent coming against USC Upstate in 2016.

At the High Point Invitational, the Owls fell three kills shy of setting a new program record with 76 total kills against Furman. 

She's A Freshman
The Owls' newest additions this season have started off their careers with a bang.

Emma Schurfranz has had a major impact on the right side for KSU, logging at least five kills in every match, double-digits in five. She has recorded 14 kills in two matches, including against Georgia Tech where she hit a blistering .583 while committing zero errors in the match.

Shelby Dennis has come up clutch on the defensive side for the Owls. She is currently third on the team with 86 total digs so far this year. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she led the team in digs against Georgia Tech with 19.

Lanie Vantrease has started to earn some significant minutes after recording six kills against James Madison. She upped her game against Samford with eight kills and her first career block.

Set Up For Success
The ASUN Preseason Setter of the Year has not disappointed so far this season. Lexi Broadwater is currently ranked second in the ASUN averaging 10.79 assists per set, one of four setters to average 10 or more assists.

Broadwater set an amazing match against Furman at the High Point Invitational, recording a career-high 63 assists. Her performance marked the first time since 2016 that an Owl recorded over 60 assists in a match. She set another 60 assists against South Alabama.

In program history, an Owl has recorded over 60 assists in a match seven times, two of which have been Broadwater. Her 63 assists against Furman is tied for the second-most in a single match.

With 1,863 assists in her career, Broadwater is one of four players in program history to record over 1,500 career assists, ranked third all-time.

Bringing The Thunder
Lauren Chastang has plagued opposing teams so far this year, recording double-digit kills in all but two matches. She is one of two players in the ASUN to record over 100 kills and 100 digs so far this season.

Her 3.54 kills per set average currently ranks fourth in the ASUN. That mark would be good enough for third all-time in KSU single-season history.

Chastang is currently seventh on the KSU career record list, racking up 663 kills in just over two seasons.

The Film Room
The Tide have been on a roll under first-year Head Coach Lindsey Devine, opening the season 8-1. Alabama's only blemish was a five-set loss at VCU.

Devine took over the Alabama program after 16 years at the helm of former ASUN rival East Tennessee State.

UA has dropped only three sets throughout the last six matches.

Freshman Alyiah Wells leads the squad with 70 kills and 38 blocks on the year. Defensively, libero Kaylee Thomas has recorded 126 digs this season.

Looking Ahead
Following the Owls mid-week match, KSU closes out its non-conference schedule at the Gamecock Invitational. The Owls open tournament play against Maryland Saturday at 11 a.m., before taking on hosts South Carolina Sunday at noon.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 138, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 421, Lexi Broadwater
Digs: 166, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 26, Jasmine Brown
Aces: 17, Lauren Chastang
Attack Percentage: .289, Jasmine Brown

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