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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State showed there's no place like home on Thursday night, as the Owls took a quick 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-20) sweep of Furman in their 2022 home opener from the Convocation Center. KSU moved to 3-1 on the season with the victory and are a perfect 3-0 all-time against the Paladins.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU finished with a season-high .301 hitting percentage (43K-12A-103TA) while Furman was held to a .103 (28K-18A-97A).
OWL OF THE GAME: Dani Ballou just missed the Owls' first double-double of the season, as she finished with a game-high 11 kills and nine digs. She also added two blocks for KSU, while her .435 hitting percentage (11K-1A-23TA) paced the squad.
SET ONE: It was a two-point game, 9-7 in favor of KSU, when a Lanie Vantrease kill sparked a 13-2 run for the Owls. Emma Schurfranz ended the run with a kill for a 22-9 lead and KSU would claim a 25-13 set victory.
SET TWO: Furman held an early led in the next set before KSU came back with a 4-0 run for a 9-6 edge. The Paladins closed within two twice, the last at 18-16. A 3-0 spurt this time helped push KSU to a 24-21 advantage, on the way to an eventual 25-23 victory off the kill from Vantrease.
SET THREE: The final set saw a series of spurts from both teams. KSU jumped out early 7-2, until a 6-0 run put the visitors ahead. The lead changed hands twice more, and was tied as late as 19-19. KSU took control with five straight points, and sealed it with a kill from freshman Manu Johnson.
QUOTEABLE: "It was a nice team effort tonight against a solid team. We had lots of really good contributions from a lot of people. Our depth gives us such an advantage and tonight we had a lot of people compete at a really high level. Especially from Dani Ballou, who had a great match in all phases of the game. I thought our first contact was really clean which always helps. And Lou (McKinley Ferguson) did a great job distributing the ball and keeping our team in a great rhythm offensively." – KSU head coach Keith Schunzel
NOTES
-Also shinning on offense for KSU was Schurfranz with nine kills.
-McKinley Ferguson paced the team in assists (32), Shelby Dennis had a team-high 16 digs, and Claire Parsons led all players with six blocks.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls are right back at it Friday night at 7 pm against High Point in the Convocation Center, the second of a three-game homestand.
