By: Mark Wasik
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State's Manu Johnsen became the second player in team history to earn ASUN Volleyball Freshman of the Year honors, while she was also one of three players to earn All-ASUN honors as the league office announced its season awards on Wednesday. Johnsen was an All-ASUN second team selection, the only freshman in the ASUN to be named all-conference this year, while senior
Shelby Dennis (Third Team) and junior
Claire Parsons (Third Team) both earned their first ASUN season recognition of their careers.
Johnsen, an outside hitter from Copenhagen, Denmark, became one of the top offensive threats in the ASUN during the conference season. Her rapidly improving performance in league play culminated in a 27-kill performance in the regular season finale on Sunday against Central Arkansas, the most by any Owl in over 11 years and just one kill off the KSU single-game record. In conference games, she was eighth in kills (3.0 kps) points per set (4.0 pps), and posted double-digits in kills in seven of the last eight games. She also claimed two 20+ kill matches during the season as well. Johnsen was named ASUN Freshman of the Week once, and finished the season hitting .247 in ASUN play, while adding 18 aces (0.35 saps) and 101 digs (1.94 dps). She also becomes just the second-ever Owl to be named to the All-ASUN team as a freshman, and was the only unanimous selection on the ASUN All-Freshman team.
Dennis, a defensive specialist from Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of the top liberos in the ASUN, and is currently leading the conference in league games with 5.08 digs per set. For the season, Dennis averaged 4.50 digs per set, which ranked her fifth overall, and is currently the fourth-highest average in school history. She also claimed ASUN Defensive Player of the Week honor once this season.
Parsons, a middle blocker from Marietta, Ga., is one of the top all-around players for the Owls, as she currently ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage at .313, and is fifth in blocks per set at 1.06. She has also posted 153 kills on the season, for a 1.91 kps average, and she's reached double-digits in kills seven times, including notched seven total blocks four times. Her 85 total blocks and 79 blocks assists currently leads the Owls, and she comes into the week ranked second all-time at KSU in career block assists and third in career total blocks.
NEXT UP: The Owls are off to Nashville for the 2022 ASUN Tournament, held on the campus of Lipscomb University from Thursday-Saturday. KSU will begin play in the quarterfinal round as the sixth seed, and will face third seed Jacksonville State at 2 p.m.
