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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball turned in one of its most complete performances of the season, as the Owls won the final three sets to knock off second place North Florida 3-1 (21-25, 25-15, 25-20, 33-31) Sunday afternoon in ASUN action from the Convocation Center. KSU, riding a season-high three-match win streak, improved to 11-8 overall, 5-3 in league play. That places the Owls in third in the East Division, right behind UNF (17-3 overall, 6-2 ASUN).
STAT OF THE GAME: Against the Ospreys, who came into this week with a RPI ranking of 65, Kennesaw State knew it needed its best play on the court to win, and the Owls did exactly that Sunday thanks to a season-best .370 hitting percentage (64K-13E-138TA). That included the second and third sets in which KSU posted a .636 and a .556 hitting percentage, respectively.
OWL OF THE GAME: Lauren Chastang had a game-high tying 18 kills and added 12 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. She finished with a .316 hitting percentage (18K-6E-38TA) as well.
SET ONE: KSU started on fire with an early 7-2 edge, but UNF climbed back into the set, and would claim a four-point win to take a 1-0 advantage.
SET TWO: This time KSU grabbed an early lead and didn't let go. The Owls led by as much as eight, 20-12, and then scored the final three points for a 10-point win.
SET THREE: The set was tied at 7-7, until an Owl 7-1 rally gave the home team a 14-8 edge. Again KSU opened up a 20-12 lead in the set, though this time the Ospreys made a run to close within 23-20. The Owls then scored two straight to grab a 2-1 edge.
SET FOUR: UNF was the early leader for the first time on Sunday with a 5-1 lead. KSU came back with five straight, helped by two straight aces and a Chastang kill, for a 6-5 advantage. The set would go back and forth, with UNF holding leads of 18-12 and 22-16. KSU then came back with a 7-0 spurt to go ahead 23-22. Both teams kept battling, as the Owls had five match points while UNF held three set points, until a kill by McKinley Ferguson and an attack error gave the win to KSU.
QUOTEABLE: "Today we saw a Kennesaw State volleyball team play an entire match at the level that we have seen glimpses of and bits and pieces of all fall. It's not a question if we're capable. We're very capable. Our group always competes their tails off and we did again today. But against a really good UNF team, the difference we saw today was that we not only competed, but we also executed and played clean volleyball for an entire match. Super proud of what our women did today. "– KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
NOTES:
- The final set total point total of 64 (33-31) was the most combined points in a set in a KSU contest since Nov. 17, 2019, when the Owls won the opening set of a 3-1 victory by a 38-36 score in Lynchburg, Va.
- Emma Schurfranz joined Chastang in the team lead for kills with 18. She had a .500 hitting percentage (18K-2E-32TA) while adding a pair of service aces as well.
- Other players of note included: Ferguson (48 assists, nine digs), Shelby Dennis (10 digs, three aces) and Claire Parsons (nine kills, six blocks).
- The Owls finished with the advantage in both team service aces (9-2) and team blocks (12-4).
- The Owls' conference regular season home win streak was extended to 11 games.
- KSU has won eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams.
NEXT TIME OUT: The second divisional crossover weekend of the season awaits the Owls, as KSU will be off to Jacksonville, Fla. for three ASUN matches. First up will be a Friday, Oct. 22 contest at 3 pm against Lipscomb. That's followed on Saturday, Oct. 23 with a 3 pm game with Bellarmine, and the weekend will be finished with a Sunday, Oct. 24 match against Eastern Kentucky, also at 3 pm.
