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TROY, Ala. – Junior outside hitter
Manu Johnsen turned in a strong overall game on Friday, posting her first double-double of the season with 18 kills and 18 digs as Kennesaw State bounced back from a first set deficit to top The Citadel 3-1 (20-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-23) on Friday afternoon in the Troy Invitational inside of Trojan Arena. The Owls moved to 3-5 on the year, and are 3-1 away from home in 2024, while the preseason favorites in the SoCon Bulldogs dropped to 3-5 overall.
OWL OF THE GAME: Johnsen's 18 kills were both a game and season-high, as were her 18 digs, giving her the first double-double by an Owl this season. She finished with a .289 (18K-5E-45TA) hitting percentage as well, while adding an ace and a block.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls played strong defense, with a season-high 82 digs. They held the Bulldogs to a .197 hitting percentage (50K-19E-157TA), including under .200 in the final three sets, all won by KSU.
THE RUNDOWN – KSU never led in the opening set after the Bulldogs opened up with a 4-1 lead. The Owls were within one at 7-6, and as close as two at 19-17, but with the score at 23-20, The Citadel scored the final two points for the 1-0 set lead. Set two, a 7-0 spurt early put the Owls up 8-2 and they never looked back. Five different Owls scored points during that run, and KSU scored seven of the last eight points for a 25-14 win. The third set saw the Bulldogs go up 10-3. This was the turning point of the match, as the Owls roared back with a 7-2 spurt to close within 13-11. After a 2-0 run from the Bulldogs, KSU used a pair of 5-0 runs to go up 22-18 and a kill from
Ava Garner sealed the comeback for a 25-22 set win. Set four saw several shifts of momentum, with KSU taking advantage of a few errors to go up 4-1. The Citadel came back with four straight to go up 7-6, and the lead would change hands five more times and be tied nine times. The Bulldogs took their final lead at 23-22, before kills from
Kiernan Stamey and Johnsen made it set point, while a Bulldog error sealed the win for KSU.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Proud of our group for turning that match around after a lackluster first set where we basically let The Citadel do whatever they wanted. Our defensive intensity picked up and we ended up playing three pretty solid sets. It was great seeing
Maggie Byrd come in to spark us and compete really hard on the block and attack, and I thought Leah's response after set one was exactly what you want to see and feel out of your libero. Overall, we grew today. We have a long way to go with consistency and our ability to play cleanly when we're getting challenged and have to adjust. But, The Citadel is a nice team and that's a solid win for our bunch."
NOTES
-This was the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
-KSU finished the afternoon with a .255 hitting percentage (61K-20E-161TA).
-Two more Owls posted double-figures in kills, as Stamey finished with 13 while
Caroline Chastang added 11.
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Ava Garner made her return to the court after missing the past four games with an injury and posted nine kills, three digs and two blocks.
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Kaeley Walz led KSU with 31 assists, and Freeman had a team-high 23 digs.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will take on the host Troy Trojans in a 3 p.m. (ET) contest that will be streamed live on ESPN+.
