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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State Volleyball could not put enough consistent play together on Saturday afternoon, battling New Mexico State very tightly in both the second and third sets but came up just two points short in each as the Owls fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-23). The setback tied the weekend series at 1-1 for the teams, leaving them with the same record as well in CUSA play.
STAT OF THE GAME: NMSU finished the day with a 61.5% sideout percentage, while KSU posted a 52.8%.
THE RUNDOWN – The Aggies broke open a tight contest in the first set with a 7-1 run, giving them a 20-12 advantage on the way to the seven-point win. Set two was back and forth with five ties in the first half of the set. After a kill from NMSU tied the score at 13-13, the Owls reeled off five straight points, two of them coming off strong play on the blocks by KSU, for an 18-14 advantage. In what was the defining moment of the match, the Aggies climbed back into a tie at 20-20 off a 6-2 spurt. KSU still had its chance, with a
Manu Johnsen kill giving the Owls a 23-22 lead. A 3-0 run from the Aggies led to a 25-23 win. Set three was the most competitive of the day, with 14 ties and seven lead changes. The Owls held their last advantage at 21-20, and they would hold off one set point before falling against by a 25-23 score.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Tough match today. We knew their veteran team would respond well today and they did. After we mentally got to the right competitive mindset in set 2, we had our moment to alter that match up 18-13 and playing well. But then we made a string of hesitant plays and silly mistakes to let them get up 2 sets to 0 and give us a huge uphill climb.
It wasn't our day today, and credit to NMSU for steady play. I like the growth of our team though. We're not going anywhere. We'll keep training and fighting and putting ourselves in the mix."
NOTES
-KSU finished with a .168 hitting percentage (35K-17E-107TA), while the Aggies posted a .229 (41K-17E-105TA).
-KSU did hold the edge on blocks with eight, while the Aggies held a 46-39 edge on digs in the match.
-Johnsen led KSU on offense with 13 kills.
Olivia Burrage and
Maggie Butkovich were next with six each.
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Kaeley Walz led the team with 18 assists,
Leah Freeman had a team-high 15 digs, while Johnsen and
Ava Garner both had three total blocks each.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will be on the road at preseason favorite Western Kentucky for a pair of games, starting on Friday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. in Bowling Green, Ky., with the second game slated for Saturday, Oct. 5 with a 2 p.m. start. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
