Tuesday, Sept. 24
1 p.m. ET – Kennesaw State (7-5) at NJIT (1-14)

Location: Newark, N.J. | NJIT Wellness and Events Center
Links: Live Stats | Highlander Sports Network
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram
Notes: KSU 

Quick Hits
» The Kennesaw State volleyball team heads to NJIT Tuesday afternoon to kick-off conference play against the Highlanders at 1 p.m. The Owls look to bounce back after falling to Maryland and South Carolina this past weekend to close out non-conference play. 

» Quin Sutphin and freshman Emma Schurfranz became the second and third Owls to break the century mark for kills this season with 108 and 106, respectively. Sutphin is coming off an impressive week in which she tallied 41 total kills over the three-match span, including a career-high 21 against Alabama. The Fort Mill, S.C., native now leads the team with a .289 hitting percentage, good enough for ninth in the ASUN.

» As a team, the Owls are one of three teams in the league to average over 13 kills per set (13.45), leading the league with 659 total kills. A large part of KSU's success can be attributed to Lauren Chastang who has recorded double-digit kills in all but two matches, 15 or more in seven. She ranks second in the conference averaging 3.76 kills per set. If maintained, that average would rank third in KSU single-season history.

» Libero Karlee Groover is one of three players in the ASUN to rack up over 200 digs so far this season, ranked fifth in the league with a 4.22 per set average. Already ranked fifth on the KSU career digs list, Groover needs just 121 more digs this season to become the fourth Owl in program history to record over 1,000 career digs.

» Lexi Broadwater remains one of the top setters in the ASUN and in the country, maintaining her 11.04 assists per set average following the weekend tournament. She currently leads the NCAA for total assists with 541. With 17 assists at NJIT, Broadwater will become the third Owl in program history to record 2,000 career assists.

» Despite snapping their double-digit streak against Maryland, the Owls remain one of the deadliest teams in the ASUN from the service line, leading the league with 86 aces. KSU has recorded 10 or more aces in four matches, setting a program record with 14 against Furman. Three Owls rank among the league's top-10 for aces with Lauren Chastang leading the way with 28, followed by Karlee Groover in a tie for fourth with 16 aces and Bri Becerra in ninth with 13. 

Killing The Game
The Owls have been crushing it so far this season, racking up 659 total kills to lead the ASUN. KSU is one of three teams in the league to average over 13 kills per set (13.45).

The Owls are on track to break the single-season record for kills set last season. KSU has recorded nearly 50 more kills on the year 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. 

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 11.04 assists per set, one of two setters to average 11 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 1,983 assists in her career, Broadwater is one of four players in program history to record over 1,500 career assists, ranked third all-time. 

The ASUN is Rising
The Owls look to continue their tremendous run of play in conference matches over the past few years. Since the 2016 season, the Owls have a 39-5 record in ASUN regular season matches.

KSU has not lost more than two league matches in each of the last three seasons. Only FGCU has managed to top KSU more than once over the current stretch. That stretch also includes two regular season championships and the program's first ever tournament championship in 2017.

The Owls have reached the ASUN Tournament Championship two years running heading into 2019.

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 double-digit kills in six matches. 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. Schurfranz is second on the team with a .258 hitting percentage having hit over .300 in five matches.

Shelby Dennis has come up clutch on the defensive side for the Owls. She is currently third on the team with 108 total digs so far this year. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, she led the team in digs against Georgia Tech with 19.

The Film Room
The Highlanders enter Tuesday's match looking to pull out of their current eight-match losing skid. Currently 1-14 on the year, NJIT is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Pedro Trevino, who comes to NJIT after leading the Rutgers-Newark men's team for eight seasons.

NJIT is led by a pair of outside hitters in Sarah Merritt and Madi Busler who have accounted for 111 and 102 kills, respectively, on the year.

With 92 blocks on the year, NJIT ranks fourth in the ASUN averaging 1.7 blocks per set. Freshman Courtney Branch has tallied half of NJIT's blocks on the year with 47 total.

To Be The Best You Have To Beat The Best
Head Coach Keith Schunzel lined up a non-conference gauntlet for the Owls in 2019 with seven teams who finished among the top-100 in RPI last season, six Power 5 opponents and four teams who earned a 2018 NCAA Tournament berth.

Among those non-conference teams, six were selected to finish in the top-5 of their respective preseason polls with High Point, Samford and James Madison chosen to win their conferences.  

Looking Ahead
After Tuesday's conference opener, the Owls finally return home to host North Florida Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Griffin's Game on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Stetson.

Stat Leaders
Kills: 184, Lauren Chastang
Assists: 541, Lexi Broadwater
Digs: 208, Karlee Groover
Blocks: 31, Jasmine Brown
Aces: 28, Lauren Chastang
Attack Percentage: .289, Quin Sutphin

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