By: Mark Wasik
Saturday, September 23
1 p.m. – Kennesaw State (7-4, 0-0
ASUN) at Eastern Kentucky (11-2, 1-0 ASUN)
Location: Baptist Health Arena | Richmond, Ky.
KSU Game Notes
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball begins Atlantic Sun Conference play on Saturday with a road contest at one of the hottest teams in the nation, as the Owls will face Eastern Kentucky in a 1 p.m. match in Richmond, Ky. The Colonels are riding a 10-game win streak, tied for third longest in the nation, while the Owls will be just the second top-100 squad EKU has faced thus far this season.
Kennesaw State brought back a very veteran squad this season, with five seniors playing key roles and that experience has shown in the results on the court, as the Owls finished the non-conference season with a 7-4 mark. That included three victories over Power Five victories, the first time KSU has ever claimed three such victories in the same season.
Coming into the Atlantic Sun opener with a top-100 Massey ranking, the Owls will be challenged right from the start with two of their first three games coming against the top competition in the league, as following Saturday's contest the Owls will be back home to host Stetson on Sept. 29, followed on Oct. 1 with a match against defending champions and preseason favorites FGCU.
As members of the ASUN, Kennesaw State has claimed all three meetings with the Colonels by a combined 9-1 score, which includes a quarterfinal win in the 2021 ASUN Tournament. This will mark the first-ever game for the Owls in Richmond, Ky., in the all-time series between the two which KSU leads 4-1.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore outside hitter
Manu Johnsen, 2022 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and a preseason All-ASUN selection this season, ranks second in the conference with a team-high 3.5 kills per set and also is third in points per set with 4.04. Senior defensive specialist
Shelby Dennis is currently seventh in the ASUN with 4.0 digs per set, while a pair of Owls rank in the top 10 in blocks, as freshman
Olivia Burrage is fourth (1.14 bps) and senior
Claire Parsons is 10th (0.86 bps). Senior setter
McKinley Ferguson tops the conference in assists with 10.05 per set. Also shining in 2023 is super senior
Emma Schurfranz, who is 4th in kills per set (3.4) and second in points per set with 4.04.
SCOUTING THE COLONELS...
EKU, picked to finish sixth in the preseason poll, is currently riding the longest win streak for the school since the 2004 squad won 13 in a row. Only one of its 11 total victories have come over a team in the top 200 of the Massey rankings however, a 3-0 win over Chattanooga (182). The Colonels have a pair of players in the top seven of the ASUN in kills, as Kambree Lucas (3.19 kps) and AG Vandagriff (2.98 kps) are sixth and seventh overall, respectively. Josie Schmitendorf meanwhile paces the league in digs (5.05 digs per set) and Carson Ledford in third in blocks (1.14 bps).
