KSU vs Bellarmine Box Score
 
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State Volleyball successfully passed its first test as sole leaders of the ASUN,  despite a tough challenge from the visiting Bellarmine Knights, as the Owls had to rally from a 1-0 deficit to win a pair of tight sets before closing out the fourth in ease for a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-23, 25-13) victory Friday night in conference action from the Convocation Center. This was the first time all season the Owls claimed a victory after trailing in the match, and improved their record to 13-4 overall with their 13^th straight home victory, a streak that is currently tied for the seventh-longest active streak in the nation.
 
STAT OF THE GAME: A sub-par hitting performance from the Owls resulted in a .229 percentage in the first set loss. KSU would bounce back from that to post percentages of .275, .277 and a game-high .444 in the final set to close out the victory. For the night, KSU hit .295 (62K-18E-149TA).

OWL OF THE GAME: Dani Ballou posted her highest kill total since 2019, as she posted a game-high 18 while finishing with a .410 attack percentage (18K-2E-39TA). She also added three aces and eight digs in the match as well.

SET ONE: KSU didn't come out with the energy it needed at the start of the match and the Knights would take advantage. Though the Owls led 11-10, Bellarmine would score five of the next six points for a 16-12 advantage. KSU could only close within two but came no closer as their nine-set win streak came to a halt.

SET TWO: This set could have easily gone either way. KSU held the early advantage at 13-10 but couldn't shake off the Knights, and the visitors would tie the game twice at 22-22 and 23-23. Two points away from going down 2-0 in the match, the Owls rallied as Emma Schurfranz posted a kill for point 24 and followed that with an ace to clinch the set.

SET THREE: This was set that was back and forth, with the Owls holding the early lead again, and were up 16-12 midway through. A 6-1 run for the Knights put them ahead 18-17, and the set was tied five more times. For the second straight set, it was tied at 23-23 when KSU scored two straight, and again closed it off with an ace thanks to Ballou.

SET FOUR: KSU took control of the final set early, reeling off seven unanswered for a 10-3 advantage. The Knights never threated again as the Owls closed out the set and the match.

QUOTEABLE: "Every team from here on out is going to bring their absolute best against us, and we need to embrace that and love the challenge. This is hands down the deepest the ASUN volleyball league has ever been, so credit to Bellarmine for competing, defending, and gritting all night. Proud of our team for staying the course and figuring out a way to win sets 2 and 3 before putting on a dominating performance in the fourth. We had some nice leadership moments and big time plays tonight from both Dani and Emma, while Shelby Dennis was steady and competed all night." – KSU head coach Keith Schunzel 

NOTES: 
-The Owls finished with a 9-4 advantage on team blocks, and also posted eight aces to four for the Knights.
-Joining Ballou in double-figures for kills was Schurfranz with 14 and Jasmine Brown with 12.
-McKinley Ferguson posted 46 assists for the Owls, and also contributed three aces, seven digs and three blocks.
-Other strong games came from Shelby Dennis with 20 digs.

NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the weekend homestand on Saturday with a 6 pm contest against Eastern Kentucky in the Convocation Center.
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