Friday, Feb. 26
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (6-0, 6-0) vs North Alabama (1-4, 1-3)
Links: Live Stats | ESPN+

Sunday, Feb. 28
2 p.m. – Kennesaw State (6-0, 6-0) vs North Alabama (1-4, 1-3)
Links: Live Stats | YouTube

Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram
Notes: KSU

QUICK HITS
» The Kennesaw State volleyball team returns to the Convocation Center this Friday and Sunday looking to keep its undefeated season intact hosting North Alabama. The Owls are returning from a weekend sweep at Liberty this past weekend, downing the Flames in duplicate four-set victories.

» Lauren Chastang had a tremendous road trip recording 39 total kills and 20 digs, including her second double-double of the year with 17 kills and 11 digs in Friday's match. She concluded the weekend slate recording 22 kills, one shy of her career-high, while hitting .362 to earn ASUN Player of the Week accolades. Chastang ranks second in the ASUN and 14th in the NCAA averaging 4.65 kills per set while being one of two players in the league to log at least 100 kills. She is just the fourth Owl in program history to record over 1,200 career points, needing just eight more points to surpass Kelly Marcinek (2013-16) for third on the all-time record list.

» Junior Jessie Cohen has impressed in her first full season as KSU's setter, racking up 274 total assists. Her current 11.7 assists per set average leads the ASUN and ranks seventh in the country. If maintained, it would mark the third straight season an Owl setter has averaged over 11 assists per set, ranking second on the KSU single-season record list. Cohen has also recorded 39 digs while ranked seventh in the ASUN with nine aces on the year. As a team, KSU leads the ASUN averaging 13.43 assists per set and is one of three teams to rack up at least 300 assists despite playing in at least two fewer matches than the other top two teams.

» The Owl attack has been on display, recording 330 total kills so far this season, averaging 14.35 kills per set to lead the ASUN and rank 17th in the NCAA. The Owls also lead the league, and rank 27th in the country, with a .272 team hitting percentage. Both Lauren Chastang (2nd) and Emma Schurfranz (5th) rank in the league's top-5 for kills per set. Dani Ballou ranks in the league's top-15, sitting in 14th with a 2.67 kills per set average. Schurfranz (.333) and Chastang (.306) are also two of the seven players in the league to hit over .300 on the year.

» KSU has been a sharpshooter from the service line so far this year averaging 1.83 aces per set to rank second in the ASUN. The Owls have recorded double-digit aces twice this season including 13 in their most recent outing at Liberty. That mark is tied for second most in KSU single-match history. Lauren Chastang (T-7th), Jessie Cohen (T-7th) and Bri Becerra (T-9th) all rank among the league's top-10 for total aces. If maintained, KSU's current per set average would rank second in single-season history.

FLAVOR OF THE WEEK
The Owls have racked up the awards so far this season, earning ASUN Player of the Week honors every week since beginning their campaign.

Sophomore Emma Schurfranz opened the year with back-to-back player of the week accolades following the first two weekends of the season. She hit over .500 in two of the first four matches, tallying 50 total kills and 17 blocks, logging at least four blocks in every match.

This past Tuesday KSU earned two of three conference accolades as Lauren Chastang was named the league's player of the week while Claire Parsons earned freshman of the week honors.

Chastang tallied 39 kills while hitting .341 at Liberty. She logged 20 total digs, opening the weekend slate recording her second double-double of the season with 17 kills and 11 digs. Chastang followed up that performance with 22 kills, one shy of her career-high, and nine digs in Saturday's victory, hitting .362 in the match.

Parsons hit a blazing .417 against the Flames. She recorded 12 kills with a .500 hitting percentage in the first contest before tallying another seven kills in the second match. She also finished the series with five total blocks.

THE THUNDER ROLLS
Lauren Chastang has brought the thunder in the early part of the season, tallying 107 total kills, 51 digs, 11 blocks and nine aces. She kicked off the year with her 33rd career double-double tying her career high with 23 kills while adding 11 digs in game one against the Knights.

She recently became just the fifth Owl in program history to record 1,000 career kills, surpassing Sydni Shelton (2015-18) for fourth on the all-time career record list. Chastang has logged 1,085 kills in her career, looking to replace the current career record of 1,240 kills held by Sabrita Gulley (2007-10).

Chastang is currently one of six players all-time with over 1,000 career points (1,259.5) passing Sydni Shelton for fourth all-time.

If she can record 50 more digs this season, she will become just the third Owl in program history to rank among KSU's top-10 for career kills and digs.

With 94 career aces, Chastang needs just six more to become the second Owl in program history to record 100 career aces.

THE STAGE IS SET
Taking over as KSU's starting setter for the first time in her career, Jessie Cohen opened her tenure with a bang in the Owls' season-opener, registering 53 total assists.

She nearly earned her first career double-double as well adding a career-high nine digs to go along with six aces, a mark that tied the five-set program record.

Over the first four matches Cohen has totaled 274 assists averaging 11.7 per set. That average currently leads the ASUN and ranks seventh in the country. If maintained, that mark would rank second in KSU single-season history.

Cohen has also run the service line with nine total aces on the year to rank seventh in the ASUN.

ACE UP OUR SLEEVE
The Owls have been deadly from the service line to open the year, totaling 42 aces to rank third in the ASUN. KSU's 1.83 aces per set average ranks 43rd in the NCAA.

Three Owls, Lauren Chastang, Jessie Cohen and Bri Becerra, all rank among the ASUN's top-10 for total aces with Chastang and Cohen tied for seventh with nine each and Becerra just behind in ninth with eight aces.

As a team, the Owls have recorded at least 10 aces in two matches this season, logging 13 in their most recent match at Liberty. That mark is tied for second in KSU single-match history, a feat accomplished only three other time.

If maintained, KSU's current 1.83 per set average would rank second in single-season history.

Both Chastang (94) and Karlee Groover (92) rank second and third respectively on the all-time career aces list. They are both looking to become just the second and third Owls ever to record 100 career aces.

After totaling five aces against Liberty, junior Bri Becerra needs just 11 more aces to crack the career top-10.

THE LOUISVILLE SLUGGER
Emma Schurfranz has had a hot start to her sophomore season earning back-to-back ASUN Player of the Week awards to open the season.

The 2019 ASUN All-Freshman Team selection recorded a career-high 19 kills in KSU's season-opener at Bellarmine, adding two aces and tying her career-high with four blocks. She followed that performance with 13 kills and four blocks while hitting .550 in game two against the Knights.

After hitting .526 in the Owls' home-opener, she led the team with 17 kills and a career-high five blocks in the fourth game between KSU and Bellarmine.

Schurfranz has recorded double-digit kills in every match so far, hitting over .300 in all but two matches.

She is currently third in the ASUN hitting .333 on the year. She is also fifth in the league averaging 3.78 kills per set, one of 10 players in the league to average over three kills per set.

She is also tied with teammate Katie Crocker for ninth in the ASUN with 21 total blocks.

UP NEXT
The Owls are scheduled to have their final home matches of the regular season, hosting Liberty next Friday (Mar. 5) and Saturday (Mar. 6).
 

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