Tuesday, Sept. 14
8 p.m. – Kennesaw State (4-4) at Samford (1-7)
Location: Pete Hanna Center | Birmingham, Alabama 

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KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team look to bounce back Tuesday night when it faces the Samford Bulldogs in a road match at 8 pm in Birmingham, Alabama. The Owls are coming off a tough two-game stretch in its own KSU Challenge, in which KSU dropped a 3-0 match to No. 24 South Carolina, followed by a 3-1 setback to Clemson the next day. Those two games closed out a four-day stretch in which the Owls faced three straight Power-Five opponents for the first time in school history. The first game of the stretch was the home opener on Sept. 9, a 3-0 sweep of Alabama.
 
The Owls did play their final two games a little shorthanded as they are dealing with a few injuries, most notably to star senior Lauren Chastang, who was hurt chasing down a ball in the loss to South Carolina. She played limited minutes the rest of the week, and her status for this week is to be determined.
 
For the Owls to have success this week, they will need to cut down on their errors after a season-high 18 service errors in the loss to Clemson. That from a team that normally excels behind the line, as the Owls come into this week ranked 19th in the nation in aces per set with 2.06.
                       
Scouting the Bulldogs
Samford brings in a 1-7 record into Tuesday night's contest, but it has come against a very tough schedule, as the Bulldogs have played three Power Five teams so far this season. They have lost all three, dropping to FSU and Clemson by 3-0 scores as well as a 3-1 loss to Ole Miss.
 
Record-Setting Performance
Lauren Chastang is having an outstanding senior season for the Owls through the first six games, and that was on show again Tuesday night. She tied the KSU record for most aces in a match with seven in the win over Alabama. Even more impressively, those came in a three-set match. Her seven aces is also the most in school history in a three-set match.
                       
Chart Leaders
Lauren Chastang will leave her mark all over the Kennesaw State record book, as it took just a few games into her 2021 season to become the all-time kills and service aces leader. She currently has 1275 kills in her career, passing Sabrita Gulley (1240), while her seven aces on Tuesday moved her into first place with 125.