By: Mark Wasik
Thursday, September 19
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (3-6, 0-0 CUSA) at Clemson (6-2, 0-0 ACC)
Location: Jervey Gym | Clemson, S.C.
Friday, September 20
2 p.m. – Kennesaw State (3-6, 0-0 CUSA) vs Furman (4-4, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Jervey Gym | Clemson, S.C.
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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State Volleyball closes out the non-conference portion of its schedule this weekend with a pair of games at Clemson. First up will be a road contest against the Tigers in the first game inside of the newly renovated Jervey Gym on Thursday night at 7 p.m. That will be followed by a neutral contest against Furman on Friday afternoon with a 2 p.m. start.
The Owls are looking to snap a two-game losing streak to Clemson, though the all-time series is tied at 2-2. The teams last met in the 2021 season, which saw Clemson come away with a 3-1 victory. The following season was the last meeting between KSU and Furman, and the Owls claimed a 3-0 victory to take a 3-0 lead in the all-time series against the Paladins.
KSU has played well away from its home court this season, as it has posted a 3-2 record after going 2-1 in the Mountaineer Invitational at Appalachian State and 1-1 this past weekend at the Troy Invitational, where it defeated The Citadel 3-1 before falling to the host Trojans by the same score.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Junior outside hitter
Manu Johnsen, a preseason All-Conference USA selection, has been the Owls' leader on offense as expected. She is posting a team-high 3.61 kills per set, and also has seven aces and 72 digs on the season (2.18 dps). Her 132 points are also a team-high. Also having a strong start to the year is sophomore middle blocker
Olivia Burrage who is contributing 0.80 blocks per set and 2.35 kills per set while hitting a team-high .313. Freshmen front line players
Kiernan Stamey and
Caroline Chastang have also shined this year, averaging 2.21 and 1.77 kills per set, respectively.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
The Clemson Tigers have started their 2024 season off strong with wins over Loyola Chicago, Western Michigan, UMES, Appalachian State, Wofford and Winthrop. One of the two losses on the year did come at the hands of another Georgia school in Georgia Southern.
Mia McGrath is pacing the team this season on offense with 3.32 kills per set, while Azyah Dailey (3.20 kps) and Kennedy Wagner (3.00 kps) rank second and third on the squad. The Tigers are strong on the blocks, with a team average of 2.42 per set, paced by Indigo Young's 0.90 bps.
SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Furman started the season at 0-2 but have won four of its last six. This past weekend they competed in the Georgia Southern Eagle Invitational, and dropped matches to Charleston Southern and Georgia Southern while claiming a 3-1 win over North Carolina A&T.
The Furman attack is more spread out with four players all posting at least two kills per set, led by Chandler Parker's team-high 2.88 kps. Kennedy Seekford leads the team in digs (4.66 dps) while Genevieve Perry's 1.33 bps is a team-best.
