Friday, Feb. 5
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0) at Bellarmine (1-3, 0-0)
Links: Live Stats | BU Knights Sports Network

Saturday, Feb. 6
5 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-0, 0-0) at Bellarmine (1-3, 0-0)
Links: Live Stats | BU Knights Sports Network

Location: Louisville, Ky. | Knights Hall
Social Media: Twitter | Instagram
Notes: KSU

QUICK HITS
» The Kennesaw State volleyball team is finally back in action and set to kick off the 2021 spring campaign Friday night against ASUN newcomer Bellarmine. The meeting is the first ASUN conference match for the Knights as well as the first meeting between the two programs as KSU enters the season looking to defend its 2019 ASUN Championship.

» The Owls head into the spring slate coming off their second ASUN Tournament Championship in the last three seasons. KSU downed No. 1 seed FGCU in a five-set instant classic to earn the title thanks in large part to a career-high 22 kills from Tournament MVP Dani Ballou along with a KSU single-match record 69 assists by Lexi Broadwater. The Owls finished the 2019 campaign 22-9 overall, their third straight season with 20+ wins. KSU has now reached the ASUN Championship in three straight seasons, four of the last five seasons.

» Senior Lauren Chastang is coming off a record-breaking season, shattering the single-season records for kills (454), aces (65) and points (553). She is the first Owl in program history to record over 500 points in a single season while simultaneously finishing sixth in the country for aces. She represents KSU in the ASUN Preseason All-Conference Team as one of two unanimous selections. Heading into the 2021 season, Chastang needs just 22 kills to become the fifth player in program history to record over 1,000 career kills.

» KSU dominated the service line in 2019, leading the league and ranked second in the NCAA averaging 2.0 aces per set. Four Owls, Lauren Chastang (1st), Bri Becerra (4th), Karlee Groover (5th) and Lexi Broadwater (10th), ranked among the ASUN's top-10 for total aces. The Owls' 2.0 aces per set average set the KSU single-season record marking only the second time in history the team has averaged over 1.5 aces per set. KSU returns 84.4 percent of its production from the service line for 2021.

» The Owls finished the 2019 season ranked third in the conference for digs per set (15.23) due in large part to libero Karlee Groover. Her 4.70 digs per set average ranked fourth in the ASUN while being one of five players in the league to tally over 500 digs on the year. Groover's 4.70 digs per set average placed her second on the KSU single-season record list. She is one of four players in program history to record 1,000 career digs having recorded over 500 digs in two different seasons, the only player in program history to accomplish such a feat.

BACK IN BLACK & GOLD
After over 400 days away from the court, the Owls are finally back in action this weekend. KSU returns 11 of its 15 players from the 2019 championship run, including 60 percent of its total point production.

Three Owls who registered over 200 kills in 2019 return to the floor, including senior Lauren Chastang who set the KSU single-season record with 454 total kills. Fellow returners include junior Dani Ballou (276) and sophomore Emma Schurfranz (206).

Defensively, the Owls return 85 percent of its total digs led by senior Karlee Groover who logged 541 digs last season. Four of the five Owls who recorded over 100 digs in 2019, Groover, Chastang, Shelby Dennis and Bri Becerra, will have the defense locked down once again in 2021.

After losing two-time ASUN Setter of the Year Lexi Broadwater to graduation, all eyes now turn to junior Jessie Cohen who will step into the setter role full time in 2021. Cohen appeared in all but five sets last season, most notably at the service line recording 27 aces to go along with 35 digs.

FOR THE RECORD
The Owls are coming off a remarkable 2019 campaign in which they broke 22 team and individual season and match records.

As a team, the Owls set new standards for total kills (1,657), aces (231), assists per set (13.5) and points per set (18.24).

KSU has been consistently raising the bar with the last two seasons marking the first times in program history the Owls have recorded over 1,500 total kills, 1,500 assists, 160 aces and 2,000 points.

The only major record not set in the last two seasons is total digs, however 2019's 1,753 digs currently ranks second on the KSU record list while marking the first time since 2016 KSU recorded over 1,700 digs.

Individually, apart from the single-season records set in 2019 a handful of Owls are looking to make their mark in the career record book.

Lauren Chastang currently ranks fifth all-time for career kills with 978, needing only 22 more to become the fifth Owl in history to log 1,000 career kills. The current career record is 1,240 kills held by Sabrita Gulley (2007-10).

Chastang will also make plays for the career aces and points record in 2021. She needs 15 aces to become the second Owl ever to record 100 career aces and 34 to tie the current record of 119 set by Kristi Piedimonte (2014-17). She is currently one of six players all-time with over 1,000 career points needing another 253 to break Gulley's record of 1,390.

Fellow senior Karlee Groover is looking to climb the record list currently sitting in second place with 87 career aces.

Groover is one of four Owls to rack up over 1,000 career digs with 1,212 to her name. She will look to overtake Katarina Morton's (2014-17) record of 1,861 in 2021.

Other Owls looking to crack the record books include Dani Ballou who is 87 kills shy of Emily Bean (2010-13) for 10th on the career record list. Fellow junior Bri Becerra has totaled 426 digs in her two seasons, looking to overtake Fanise Cannon (2013-16) who sits in 10th with 733 digs.

CAN YOU DIG IT
The Owls ranked third in the ASUN in 2019 with a 15.23 digs per set average, one of three teams to average over 15 digs per set.

Five Owls hit the century mark for digs with returners Karlee Groover, Lauren Chastang and Shelby Dennis all recording over 300. KSU was the only team in the league to have three players log over 300 digs on the year.

Groover led the team with 541 digs on the year, logging double-digit digs in all but three matches, including nine with 20 or more. She set the program single-match record with 41 digs during KSU's four-set win over FGCU (11/8).

With her 308 digs in 2019, Dennis became just the third freshman in KSU history to record over 300 digs in their inaugural season.

OUT FOR THE KILL
The Owls had one of the top offenses in the NCAA in 2019, ranking 11th in the nation averaging 14.4 kills per set.

KSU's .241 hitting percentage ranked 54th in the NCAA and second in the ASUN. At the service line, the Owls were second only to UMES in the NCAA averaging 2.0 aces per set. KSU's 231 total aces ranked fourth in the country.

KSU returns 60 percent of its total kills from 2019, including three Owls who logged over 200 kills, Lauren Chastang (454), Dani Ballou (276) and Emma Schurfranz (206).

THE ASUN IS SHINING
Apart from its matchup with the College of Charleston, KSU will strictly play an ASUN schedule this spring.

Over the last four years the Owls have a 52-8 record in conference play. The Owls hold a 19-20 overall record against the league teams KSU will face in the regular season. Lipscomb accounts for all 20 losses but has only bested KSU twice in the last four seasons.

KSU is a combined 10-0 against Liberty and North Alabama.

The Owls have finished in the top-two in the ASUN the last four years and are predicted to finish second according to this year's Preseason Coaches' Poll.

UP NEXT
Following this weekend's season-openers, the Owls will travel to South Carolina to take on the College of Charleston Sunday (Feb. 14).

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video