FORT MYERS, Fla. – The first set was just what everyone expected Friday night between Kennesaw State and FGCU, but after falling behind the Owls couldn't keep up the pace, dropping a 3-0 (26-28, 25-13, 25-17) contest on the Eagles' home court in ASUN volleyball action.

The Owls jumped out to an early lead in the first set, as a 7-1 run turned a one-point contest into a 14-7 edge for KSU. The Eagles slowly climbed back into the match, and held set point at 24-23, until the Owls countered with two straight of their own for set point at 25-24. FGCU eventually scored the final two points to steal the set 28-26.

THE TURNING POINT: After the tight loss in the first set, KSU kept it close at the start of the second set, tying the game on an ace at 4-4. The Eagles put the game away by scoring 14 of the next 15 points to go up 18-5. FGCU would take the second set by 12 points for a two-set lead. The Owls moved to 8-8 overall, 2-3 in league play with the loss while the league-leading Eagle squad improved to 14-4 and a perfect 6-0 in ours.

STAT OF THE GAME: One game after tying for its highest hitting percentage of the season, the Owls posted their lowest, as they finished the night at .000 (25K-25E-111TA). FGCU meanwhile finished with a .229 (43K-16E-118TA).

QUOTEABLE: "The team we played tonight is in first place in the league for a reason. They just challenge you and pressure you in so many different ways. We had opportunities late in the first, and we have to convert those and win that set if we want tonight to end differently. We continue to do so many good things but we also continue to not do those things for long enough stretches of time."– KSU head coach Keith Schunzel 

NOTES: 

• For just the second time this year, KSU did not have a player finish in double-figures in kills. Lauren Chastang led the team with nine, though seven of those came in the first set.
• Emma Schurfranz was next with seven kills. No other Owl finished with more than three kills for the game.
• There was a 30-minute delay near the end of the second set due to a fire alarm in the arena.

NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls take on the Stetson Hatters Saturday in DeLand, Fla. in a 6 pm match.