By: Mark Wasik
Friday, September 15
6 p.m. – Kennesaw State (6-3, 0-0 ASUN) vs Northern Kentucky (5-4, 0-0 Horizon League)
Location: Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats: KSUOwls.com
Saturday, September 16
4 p.m. – Kennesaw State (6-3, 0-0 ASUN) at Xavier (5-4, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Location: Cintas Center | Cincinnati, Ohio
Live Stats: KSUOwls.com
Video Steam: FloSports
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend as the Owls will play a pair of games in Ohio in what is a homecoming for Cincinnati natives
Shelby Dennis and Maggie Butkovitch. First up will be a Friday neutral contest against Northern Kentucky at 6 p.m., while Saturday will see the Owls face off against Xavier at 4 p.m., with both games being played in the Cintas Center on the Xavier campus. Saturday's game will be streamed live on the FloSports network as well.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore outside hitter Johnsen came on strong at the end of last season on the way to earning Second Team All-ASUN honors, and she finished the season pacing the Owls in kills per set (3.09). Also earning All-ASUN honors in 2022 senior defensive specialist
Shelby Dennis (4.48 digs per set), and senior middle blocker
Claire Parsons (1.10 blocks per game), both of who ranked among the ASUN leaders in several categories. Senior setter
McKinley Ferguson had an outstanding junior campaign for the Owls, and finished the year averaging 10.39 assists per set and also led the Owls in service aces (0.37 per set) while adding 90 kills, seventh-best on the team from the setter spot.
SCOUTING THE NORSE...
Northern Kentucky is 5-4 on the year, but brings a four-game win streak into this weekend after posting victories over South Dakota, Butler, Morehead State and Indiana. Three of the four losses for NKU have come at the hands of Power Five schools (Ohio State, Missouri, Louisville). Abby Kanakry is pacing the squad in kills this season with 3.39 kps, while Joy Banks is next with 2.82 kps. The Norse have two main setters, Torie Houston (6.03 assists per set) and Katy Yopko (4.91 apg). On defense, Anna Burke leads the way with 4.48 digs per set, and Skyy Smith is living up to her name with 1.19 blocks per set.
SCOUTING THE MUSKETEERS...
Xavier, picked to finish third in the BIG EAST, is also out to a 5-4 mark this season. The Musketeers started the year with three straight wins, before then dropping three straight in a tournament at Colorado, all by 3-0 scores. They rebounded at their own home tournament, knocking off Buffalo and ASUN member Bellarmine while falling to Missouri by a 3-2 margin. It's a balanced attack for XU on offense, with Delaney Hogan (87), Anna Taylor (77) and Emma Grace (73) all posting over 70 kills so far this season. Carrigan O'Reilly paces the team with 7.67 assists per set, while Stevie Wolf is the team-leader in digs (4.0 dps).
2023 OWLS > POWER FIVE...
The Owls made national attention this past weekend, as for the first time in program history KSU knocked off two straight Power Five squads in consecutive matches. The first game in the Owls' first game in the Kennesaw State Invitational, a 3-2 victory over Wake Forest on Sept. 8. KSU again went the distance the next night, as the Owls rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 3-2 win over Mississippi State. That gives KSU a 3-1 record against the Power Five this season, and marks 11 all-time wins for the Owls against Power Five competition. KSU also has more then half of the Atlantic Sun's total five wins over Power Five teams this season.
MCKINLEY PICKING UP THE HONORS...
Senior setter
McKinley Ferguson, who leads the Atlantic Sun in assists, was named the ASUN Setter of the Week on Sept. 11 after an outstanding weekend in the Kennesaw State Invitational where she led the Owls to a 2-1 record including the wins over Wake Forest and Mississippi State. In the two victories, she posted 50 or more assists in both games, and also added 25 digs, four blocks and six kills for the tournament.
