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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Fourth-seed Kennesaw State (18-10) bounced back from an opening-set loss with three straight wins to claim a 3-1 victory over fifth-seeded North Alabama (17-12) on Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. This year's tournament is being held on the campus of FGCU, and the Owls will next meet the host Eagles in Friday's semifinal round, scheduled to start at 7 p.m. from Alico Arena.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls posted 10 service aces in the contest, while the Lions held just two.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior
Emma Schurfranz was second on the team with 14 kills while posting a .500 hitting percentage (14K-1E-26TA). She also added nine digs, two blocks and an ace in the win.
THE RUNDOWN – The first set was not the Owls', as they were slow out of the start, falling behind 13-3 on the way to an eventual 25-19 set one loss. It was a completely different story in set two, with KSU jumping out to a 12-3 lead right off the bat. The Lions made a late run but KSU still held on for the victory to tie the match at 1-1. The third set was close in the first half, with KSU holding a 12-10 edge when it reeled off four unanswered for a six-point edge. The Owls then scored the final five points for a 2-1 lead. The fourth set was back and forth with each team holding several leads. UNA's last advantage was at 15-14, before a 10-3 spurt gave the Owls match point at 24-18. The Lions held on for two more points before Schurfranz ended things with a kill.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Congrats to North Alabama on a heck of a year. That program has come a long way in the last couple of years. They play hard, have physical athletes, are well coached and present a lot of challenges. Tough, gritty, high level response from our group after UNA came out firing in set one. I'm proud of our women for finding another level in that match in sets 2-4. Thought our serve really impacted their offense and I thought our block and defense competed at a level necessary to win in the conference tournament. Rest and mental reset and we'll get ready to battle tomorrow."
NOTES
-Friday's semifinal will be the eighth-meeting all-time between KSU and FGCU in the ASUN Tournament. FGCU has won four of the first seven meetings, though the last time the teams met in the tournament when it was held in Fort Myers, the Owls came out on top 3-2 in the 2019 championship game.
-This is the ninth straight year the Owls have advanced to the ASUN semifinal round.
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Manu Johnsen led the Owls in kills with 15 and added eight digs.
Olivia Burrage also posted double-figures in kills with 11.
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Kourtney Brown paced the team in both assists (42) and digs (15) for a double-double.
-Johnsen has now moved into third place all-time at KSU with 427 kills this season, just two out of second place.
