By: Mark Wasik
Follow KSU Volleyball - Twitter | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Four Kennesaw State Owls were honored by the Atlantic Sun as
Manu Johnsen was selected to the All-ASUN First Team while
Emma Schurfranz was a second-team selection, the league office announced on Wednesday afternoon. In addition,
Kourtney Brown and
Olivia Burrage were both selected to the ASUN All-Freshman Team, and Schurfranz picked up the first Academic All-ASUN honor of her career.
Johnsen turned in one of the best offensive seasons by an Owl in school history. The sophomore outside hitter from Copenhagen, Denmark, currently ranks first in the ASUN in both kills (4.04 per set) and points (4.56 per set). She also ranks 10th in the league in aces at 0.34 per set. Her 412 total kills coming into this week's ASUN tournament are currently the fourth-most in a season in KSU history, while her 465 points are the third-highest ever at KSU. Twice named ASUN Player of the Week this season, she has a team-high 11 double-doubles in 2023, and put herself in the record books after recording 22 kills in a three-set match, which set a new KSU standard. This is her second straight all-conference recognition after earning second team accolades a year ago.
Schurfranz picks up her third career All-ASUN honor after a season in which she ranked second on the Owls in several categories including kills (3.11 kps), points (3.86 pps), hitting percentage (.262), aces (33), solo blocks (12) and was third in total blocks with 75. Currently she ranks eighth in the ASUN in kills per set, while she is fifth overall in points as well. Named ASUN Player of the Week once this season, the Louisville, Ky., native reached double-figures in kills 18 times this season. She is set to graduate from KSU this fall with a 3.75 GPA and her degree in marketing.
Brown, a native of Birmingham, Ala., officially took over as the Owls' starting setter in the sixth game of the ASUN season, and KSU would go 9-2 over the final 11 games with her in the starting lineup, after beginning with a 1-4 mark in conference play. Twice named ASUN Setter of the Week, she is averaging 10.6 assists per set. In conference play, that number jumped to 11.2 assists per set, which ranks her second in the ASUN. Four times this season she surpassed 50+ assists in a game, including a career-high 61 in KSU's 3-2 comeback victory at Stetson, which was tied for the fifth-most ever in school history.
Burrage, a middle blocker from Jefferson, Ga., had an impressive debut season for the Owls as she ranks among the league leaders in blocks while also being a big offensive threat. Currently she is posting 0.96 blocks per set, tops on the team and fourth in the conference. Seven times she recorded six or more blocks in a game, including a career-high nine twice. She also ranks fifth on the team in kills with 153, while her hitting percentage of .305 leads the team.
