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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Kennesaw State volleyball team got back to its winning ways Tuesday night, making quick work of the Samford Bulldogs with a 3-0 road victory. The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Owls, improving them to 5-4 for the season.
It was anyone's match at the start, as the first set was tied a total of 10 times. The home Bulldogs led by three points late at 20-17, before the Owls used a four-point run to take back the lead, thanks to four consecutive kills, three straight by Ballou. The Owls then held set point at 24-22 before holding on for a 26-24 win thanks to a kill from Emma Schurfranz.
Samford opened the second set with a 7-2 lead and still lead 11-7 before the Owls rallied. A 9-2 spurt put KSU ahead 16-13, and the Owls never gave up the lead for the second set win. In the final set, KSU raced out to a large lead at 11-6. The Bulldogs didn't go away easily, scoring eight of the next 10 points for a 14-13 advantage. Samford also led at 16-15, until KSU scored the next four points to take control.
OWL OF THE GAME: Ballou tied her career-high with 13 kills despite the match going just three sets, while her hitting percentage of .478 was a new career-high as well.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU finished with a season-high .320 hitting percentage (46 K, 13 E, 103 TA).
QUOTEABLE: "That was a well-played match by our team tonight. We've had some battles with Samford through the years, and, like our program, that's a team that is used to winning. Coming into their gym and getting the sweep is no small task. Tonight was a very solid team win with a lot of great individual performances, but I thought Dani Ballou played her best match of the season and carried a big load for us. She attacked high and hard all night, and made some really smart volleyball plays at the net."– KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
NOTES:
- Schurfranz paced the Owls in kills with 15, followed by Ballou's 13.
- Bri Becerra led KSU in digs with 10, while McKinley Ferguson dished our 34 assists in the victory.
- KSU improved to 2-1 on the road, and claimed its second 3-0 sweep of the season. Both 3-0 wins have come on Tuesdays for the Owls.
NEXT TIME OUT
The Owls close out their non-conference slate with two games in Greenville, S.C. on Thursday and Friday. First up is a road contest at Furman on Thursday with a 6 pm start, followed by a neutral site match with High Point on Friday at 1 pm.
