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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball jumped out to a two-set lead and then held off a pesky Jacksonville squad to claim a 3-1 (28-26, 25-21, 22-25, 25-23) victory in ASUN play Friday night from the Convocation Center on Homecoming Weekend for the Owls. With the victory, the Owls moved to 4-3 in league play, 10-8 overall, while JU dropped to 4-15, 1-6 in the league.
SET ONE: Jacksonville actually held a 23-19 advantage in the first set, until three straight kills (one from Dani Ballou, two from Emma Schurfranz and an ace by Bri Becerra tied the score at 23-23. The Owls would eventually come away with the 28-26 set one win.
SET TWO: After falling behind early 4-1, the Owls went on a 12-3 run to open up a 13-7 edge. JU did close within one twice, but a pair of kills by Schurfranz ended the set for KSU.
SET THREE: This was true back and forth effort by both teams, while the score was tied three times late, the final time at 22-22. JU then scored the final three points to take its first set of the night.
SET FOUR: KSU was on fire at the start, scoring five of the first six points. The Dolphins slowly climbed back into the contest, taking a three-point lead several times, the last at 19-16. The Owls would knot the game at 19-19, 20-20 and 21-21, before a 3-0 run gave them match point. JU kept things in doubt with two straight points of its own, until Lauren Chastang had the final kill of the night to give KSU the victory.
OWL OF THE GAME: Schurfranz finished with a team-high 15 points while adding four blocks and three digs.
QUOTEABLE: "Sometimes there's nights where things are more of a struggle then you hope and tonight was one of those games. This was not an incredibly clean game by us in a lot of phases. But we kept challenging the team to keep fighting, not worry, play the next point and find out a way to win the game, and that's what we did. Emma continues to carry a big load for us offensively, and she continues to be one of our more consistent performances night in. Also thought Claire Parsons had a great game tonight, and got her hands on a lot of balls on the block. "– KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
NOTES:
- KSU has won six straight in the series against Jacksonville, though tonight was the first time in six games the Dolphins had won a set off the Owls after five straight 5-0 victories.
- The Owls' conference regular season home win streak was extended to 10 games.
- It was a balanced effort again for the Owls, as four players finished with nine or more kills. Lauren Chastang posted her eighth double-double of the year with 11 kills and 10 digs, while Dani Ballou had 10 kills and Claire Parsons nine. Parsons also added six blocks in the victory.
- KSU finished with a .186 hitting percentage (53K-23E-161TA).
- The Owls posted a 10-5 edge on total team blocks and 7-4 on service aces.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls play a second straight at home when they host North Florida on Sunday at 1 pm in the Convocation Center.
