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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Kennesaw State saw both its 12-game win streak and its season come to an end Friday night in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Jacksonville State Friday in the semifinals of the 2021 ASUN Volleyball Championships. The Owls finished their season at 20-9 overall, while the Gamecocks advanced to their first-ever ASUN championship appearance.
The game was up for grabs the entire afternoon, as the momentum kept switching back and forth between the two teams. The Owls would claim the first set thanks to a 6-1 late run that gave them a 23-20 advantage on the way to the 25-23 set win. JSU came storming back in the next set though to win by a 25-14 margin.
The third set, though not the eventual game-winner for the Gamecocks, is when KSU had its best path to victory. The set itself had numerous ties and lead changes, and the Gamecocks held set point first at 24-23, before KSU scored the next two to take their own set point at 25-24. After the two teams traded points, again putting the Owls up 26-25, KSU would commit errors on the next three points, allowing JSU to steal the victory.
Needing a victory to stay alive, the Owls scored five of six points to go ahead 16-12 in set four, and closed out with a 4-1 run.
Emma Schurfranz' kill gave KSU a 25-20 win, and tied the match at 2-2.
In the fifth and deciding set, the lead changed hands five times. It looked like KSU would come away with the win after jumping out to a 9-6 edge. The Gamecocks responded back though with five unanswered points to go up two at 11-9. This game was determined to go down to the end, as the set would be tied at 11-11, 12-12 and 13-13. Another Owl error and a kill by JSU ended the Owls' hopes though in the 15-13 set win for the Gamecocks.
STAT OF THE GAME: Kennesaw State came in as one of the top serving teams in the nation, ranking in the top 20 for aces per set at almost two. However, the Owls were held to just five total in the five sets, but more hurtful were the season-high 17 service errors KSU committed.
QUOTEABLE: "Tough pill to swallow. We fought like hell and played our hearts out. At the end of the day we just didn't come up with enough big plays in the big moments, and when you're trying to win a conference championship, it almost always comes down to a very small number of important plays that will determine it. Credit to Todd and JSU for playing and competing how they did and earing a spot to the championship game. I'm so proud of our team and our seniors. We grew a ton this fall, and did some incredible things. When we look back, this was a heck of a season. But right now we're all sick to our stomach and really hurting."
– KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
NOTES:
- Playing in her final game as an Owl, Lauren Chastang, the Owls' all-time leader in career kills, finished with 13 on the day. She also added a career-high 20 digs for her 11th double-double of the season, and notched three aces as well.
- She was one of four players in double-figures in kills, and one of two with a double-double, as Schurfranz posted a team-high 15 kills and 12 digs.
- Jasmine Brown and Dani Ballou both added 12 kills each for the Owls.
- Shelby Dennis' 20 digs led KSU, while McKinely Ferguson dished out 53 assists, just one off her career-high.
