CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Kennesaw State volleyball claimed its second straight road win, taking down Queens 3-1 (14-25, 25-19, 25-22, 25-21) on Thursday night from Curry Arena. The victory moved the Owls to 16-10 overall, and 9-6 in the Atlantic Sun with just one game left in the regular season. KSU is currently alone in fourth place in the standings at 9-6, and can still tie for third place with a win on Saturday and a loss by third place Eastern Kentucky. The Owls have already clinched a spot in the 2023 Atlantic Sun Volleyball Tournament, as the top eight teams from the regular season advance to the three-day tournament on Nov. 16-18 at FGCU.
STAT OF THE GAME: After posting a .116 hitting percentage in the opening set (12K-7E-43TA), the Owls hit over .300 in sets two-four. They finished with a .264 percentage (69K-22E-178TA).
OWL OF THE GAME: Sophomore Manu Johnsen has dominated the two games against Queens this season, as she recorded a game-high 25 kills to go along with 17 digs for her 12th double-double of the season. She also led KSU with a .393 (25K-3E-56TA) hitting percentage.
THE RUNDOWN – KSU came out sluggish in the first set, and trailing 12-9, gave up a 5-0 run and then a 6-1 run at the end of the set to fall behind 1-0 to the home squad. In the second set, it was a tight contest halfway through, but after Queens closed within 14-12, KSU scored six straight points, with all six coming from a different player. A Lanie Vantrease kill capped the run for a 20-12 edge and KSU would move onto the win and a 1-1 tie. Set three saw KSU jump out early to a 9-2 advantage, though Queens would rally. The Royals came without two several times before eventually falling. In the fourth set, KSU never trailed but couldn't completely shake the Royals, who were within 24-21 before Johnson ended things with a kill.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Started out really slow tonight, and certainly not in the right competitive mindset. But credit to our women for responding after set 1 and cranking it up. We ended up playing some solid, consistent, competitive volleyball against a much improved Queens team. I'm looking forward to Senior Day on Saturday, in what'll be a big game not only to honor our incredible seniors, but also a big game in the final standings as we head into the tourney next week."
NOTES
-KSU is now a perfect 3-0 all-time against Queens.
-Emma Schurfranz joined Johnsen in double-figures for kills with 13 and she also added nine digs.
-Kourtney Brown posted 58 assists and Shelby Dennis notched a team-high 30 digs in the win.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the regular season with a Senior Day match in the Convocation Center on Saturday at 3 p.m.
