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KENNESAW, Ga. – It's been a record-setting weekend for the Kennesaw State volleyball program, as the Owls knocked off their second Power Five opponent in as many nights with a 3-2 (23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-19, 15-9) come-from-behind victory over Mississippi State on Saturday night on the second day of the Kennesaw State Invitational. In front of 1,076 fans, the Owls made sure that this year's Griffin's Game was an exciting one for the home crowd, as they rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a win for the first time since 2021. Saturday's win over the Bulldogs (5-2) followed up Friday's victory over Wake Forest, marking the first time in school history the Owls (6-2) have posted wins over Power Five teams in consecutive days with their fourth straight win overall.
STAT OF THE GAME: After allowing Mississippi State to hit .500 and .462 in the opening two sets, the Owls limited the visitors to just .206, .116 and .000 in the final three to claim the victory.
OWL OF THE GAME: Freshman Olivia Burrage played a career game against MSU, and was at her best when the game was on the line in the final set, posting four of her career-high 12 kills, while also recording a pair of block assists, including on the final point to give KSU the victory. She finished with a game-high six total blocks for the game.
THE RUNDOWN – Both teams hit at a very hight mark in the first set, with KSU posting a .517 mark (17K-2E-29TA). Five service errors was the only difference, and MSU squeaked out a two-point win for a 1-0 lead. Seven attack errors limited the Owls in set two, dropping KSU into a 2-0 hole. In the third set the Owls started to figure it out, but it was still a back and forth set until the Owls finally grabbed the lead for good at 18-17, before eventually holding on for a 25-23 win thanks to a kill from Lanie Vantrease. In set four, the Owls jumped out to 10-6 and 15-9 advantages. MSU only came within three once the rest of the way as the Owls stayed alive in the match, going to five sets for the second time this season. The Owls started out fast in the final set and never looked back, scoring the first four points. MSU did close within two twice, the last at 7-5. KSU then scored seven of the next nine points for a 14-7 edge, and completed the comeback thanks to the block from Burrage and Maggie Butkovich.
POST-GAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Gritty win from our women tonight. We were flat as a pancake, especially defensively those first couple of sets. Once we figured out how to get some defensive pressure on them, the match flipped. Maggie Butkovich changed the course of that match off the bench. I thought our middles attacked the ball at a nice clip tonight and our block really turned on late which was huge. Great comeback win for the Owls, proud of our team."
NOTES
-The win marked the first time the Owls have ever defeated three Power Five schools in the same season (Oregon State, Wake Forest, Mississippi State), and gives KSU 11 victories all-time over Power Five teams.
-KSU claimed a victory against a school from the SEC for the first time since 2021 when it defeated Alabama. This was also a rematch of last year's 3-0 loss at Mississippi State, giving KSU a 2-1 lead in the all-time series.
-For the second straight night, Vantrease paced the team in kills with 14. Also in double-figures for kills was Johnsen (12) and Claire Parsons (11).
-Johnsen had 12 digs to give her a double-double, while McKinley Ferguson also had a double-double with 55 assists and 12 digs.
-KSU finished with a .273 hitting percentage (70K-23E-172TA). The Owls posted 12 blocks to 10 for the Bulldogs, and also held an 8-4 edge on service aces.
-The Owls 69 total assists tied for the fifth-most in a match in school history.
-The last time KSU came back from a 2-0 deficit to win was on Sept. 5, 2021 at UAB.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out play in the Kennesaw State Invitational on Sunday at 12 p.m. against Western Michigan.
