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CHARLESTON, S.C. – Kennesaw State opened the 2021 season in impressive fashion Friday, rallying from a 1-0 deficit with three straight sets to claim a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-20, 25-21) victory over Indiana State. The win came in the first game of the CofC Invitational, hosted by the College of Charleston in TD Arena.
Set one was close throughout, as while the Sycamores led the majority of the time, KSU never trailed by more then three. The Owls closed within 21-20 after a ball handling error, until ISU scored four of the next five point to claim the set. KSU again trailed in the second set, before first using a 3-0 run to go ahead 11-9. Down again at 17-15, the Owls scored the next six points of the set, which included a pair of aces from Lauren Chastang. KSU wouldn't trail again on the way to a 25-23 set two win thanks to a set point kill by Dani Ballou.
KSU was held the advantage for the majority of the next set, putting it away with a 9-0 run for a 16-8 advantage. The fourth set looked to be going ISU's way at the start when KSU fell behind 7-2. The Owls slowly chopped away at the lead though, and went ahead for good thanks to a 6-0 run for a 16-13 advantage for the eventual win.
OWL OF THE GAME: Emma Schurfranz led the Owls in both kills (16), hitting percentage (.303) and total blocks (eight).
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU finished with 10 service aces for the game, to just one for the Sycamores. Shelby Dennis led the way with three, while Schurfranz and Chastang added two each.
QUOTEABLE: "A nice start for our group. I was really happy with the level we competed for the majority of that match. We fought through some adversity, our players made some nice defensive adjustments as the match went on. I was also pleased that we had a few very solid offensive performances which is nice to see early in the season. This team will keep growing and gelling the more we play. Excited to see us take one day at a time." – KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
KSU NOTES
· This was the fourth straight season the Owls won their non-conference opener, and fifth overall they claimed a win in their season opener. KSU did not play a non-conference game during the 2020-21 spring season.
· This was the first-ever meeting between Kennesaw State and Indiana State in program history.
· Sophomore McKinley Ferguson, in her first career start, posted new personal bests of 40 assists and 12 digs, second-best on the team Friday.
· Dani Ballou (11) and Chastang (11) joined Schurfranz with double-digit kills. Dennis added a team-high 15 digs.
UP NEXT
The Owls will play two on the second day of the CofC Invitational, starting with a 10 am contest against Montana. That will be followed by a 2 pm match with the host Cougars.
