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COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Thanks to a strong defensive performance and a combined 30 kills from Manu Johnson and Emma Schurfranz, Kennesaw State won its second straight with a 3-1 (25-12, 25-18, 16-25, 25-12) victory over East Tennessee State in the Owls' final game of the Golden Eagle Invitational on Saturday afternoon in college volleyball action. With the win, the Owls moved to 4-2 on the season, with all six games having been played away from home.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls held edges on both blocks (7-4) and service aces (11-4). The Bucs were also credited with five block errors while KSU finished with none for the game.
OWL OF THE GAME: Emma Schurfranz led all players with 16 kills and posted a .433 hitting percentage. The super senior also added three blocks and a dig in the victory.
THE RUNDOWN – KSU came out ready to play, with its largest set win of the season in the opening set (25-12). The Owls weren't really threatened in the second set either, going ahead 2-0. Set three was a different matter however, as almost half of the Owls' total errors in the game came in the set. ETSU led from almost the start and would claim the win by nine points, sending the match to a fourth set. This time the Owls didn't waste time, again getting out to a large 9-2 lead. ETSU didn't make it easy, closing within one point twice, at 12-11 and 21-20, until the Owls scored four of the last five points, taking the match on the final kill from Schurfranz.
POST-GAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Nice finish to the weekend. Three games in 20 hours is a lot on anyone's plate, but overall we played good ball this weekend and competed hard. Our smalls, Shelby (Dennis), (Caroline) Cole and Leah (Freeman) came out today handling the ball extremely well. That got Lou (McKinley Ferguson) and our offense humming early. We made a ton of errors in the third but fought hard to finish it in four. Manu and Em, who both took a big load of swings this weekend, capped off the tournament killing the ball at a high clip, with power and making really good shot choices. I'm pleased with where we're at. We need to keep improving for sure, but I love coaching this group of women and I'm excited about this team."
NOTES
-Johnsen and Dennis were both named to the All-Tournament Team.
-Johnsen finished the match with 14 kills and nine digs, and has reached double-digits in kills in all six games this season.
-Ferguson led the team in assists (34) and added 12 digs for a double-double.
-Dennis led the Owls with 19 digs, while Olivia Burrge had a team-high four blocks.
-KSU held the Bucs to just a .117 hitting percentage (37K-23E-120TA).
-The win snapped a six-game losing streak to the Bucs for KSU in the first meeting between the two teams since 2013.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls are home for the first time in 2023 as they will host the Kennesaw State Invitational on Friday-Sunday, Sept. 8-10 in the Convocation Center. KSU will play its home opener on Sept. 8 against Wake Forest, while the annual Griffin's Game will be held on Sept. 9 against Mississippi State. The weekend will close out with a Sept. 10 contest against Western Michigan.
