DELAND, Fla. – Thanks to a career performance from junior Emma Schurfranz, Kennesaw State jumped out to a 2-0 set lead, and then scored seven of the last eight points in the fifth set to hold off Stetson for a 3-2 (25-19, 25-16, 17-25, 22-25, 15-9) victory Saturday night in ASUN volleyball action at the Edmunds Center.

It was a night of momentum swings, with the Owls having the early advantage after falling behind 19-14 in the opening set. Following a KSU timeout, Lani Vantrease posted back-to-back kills to spark an 11-0 run. Claire Parsons' kill finished the set to put KSU up 1-0. The Owls then led comfortably in set two for a 2-0 advantage.

Stetson started strong in the third set, going ahead 10-3 and never letting up to claim its first set of the night. Set four was a much closer affair, with the two teams tied at 21-21 before Stetson scored four of the next five to tie the match at 2-2.

THE TURNING POINT: Set five saw both teams grab leads, before the score was tied for a final time at 8-8. Dani Ballou's kill would start a run of four straight for KSU for a 12-8 edge, and after the Hatters recorded their final point, another Ballou kill started a 3-0 run to give the contest to the Owls.

OWL OF THE GAME: Schurfranz finished the night with a new career-high 25 kills to lead all players. She also placed the Owls with a .396 hitting percentage (25K-6E-48TA).

QUOTEABLE: "I learned long ago to never complain about a road win. Would it have been nice to not take five sets to win, of course. But we kept competing through some struggles and we made a bunch of big plays down the stretch. I'm proud of our group for continuing to fight and win the match." - KSU head coach Keith Schunzel 

NOTES: 

• Two Owls posted double-doubles in the victory, led by Lauren Chastang's 11 kills and 16 digs. McKinley Ferguson meanwhile finished with 10 digs and 49 assists.
• The Owls posted 10 aces to just four for Stetson. Chastang and Schurfranz led the way with three each.
• Parsons' five block assists was a team-high, while Shelby Dennis notched a new career-high with 23 digs.

NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls return home to the Convocation Center for a pair of home games, starting with a Friday, Oct. 15 contest at 7 pm against Jacksonville. That's followed by a Sunday, Oct. 17 game with North Florida with a 1 pm start.