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RICHMOND, Ky. – The Atlantic Sun conference opener for Kennesaw State Volleyball went down to the wire, as the Owls looked to snap one of the nation's longest winning streaks but came up just short in a 3-2 (27-25, 18-25, 25-18, 20-25, 12-15) loss at Eastern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at Baptist Health Arena. KSU (7-5, 0-1) dropped consecutive matches for the first time this season, while EKU won its 11th in a row (12-2, 2-0).
STAT OF THE GAME: EKU finished with a 69-58 edge on kills, helping to offset the Owls' advantage in both aces (5-2) and total blocks (16-7).
THE RUNDOWN – The first set was a battle between the two, with the lead going back and forth, while the Colonels held off set point twice before Emma Schurfranz posted a kill and finished off the set with an ace for the 27-25 win. Set two, the Colonels scored the first four points and never looked back on the way to a 7-point win. Set three was a closer affair, with EKU holding a 15-14 edge before Manu Johnsen sparked a 6-0 run. She posted a pair of kills during the run, and the Owls would take a 2-1 edge. The fourth set again saw the Colonels start out with a big lead, this time 5-0. However, a 5-0 run would put the Owls up 9-7, and they were ahead 16-14. EKU wouldn't go away though, tying the set three times before taking the lead for good at 19-18. In set five, EKU scored the first three points, and KSU only came within a point once the rest of the set.
POST-GAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Pretty disappointing mental effort from our group. Got up 2 sets to 1 and proceeded to get down 5-0 in set 4 and the wheels fell off from there. That's the time the foot has to go on the gas, instead we got hesitant, made some bad choices and didn't execute down the stretch. You do that, especially on the road, and you lose."
NOTES
-This was the first loss to EKU in ASUN conference play for the Owls, who still lead the all-time series 4-2.
-Johnsen paced the Owls with 19 kills and 14 digs for a double-double. Schurfranz was next with 17 kills and a career-high nine blocks.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will play their ASUN opener on Friday, Sept. 29 against Stetson in a 7 p.m. match at the Convocation Center. KSU will also host FGCU on Sunday, Oct. 1 in a 1 p.m. contest to close out the weekend.
