By: Mark Wasik
Friday, September 6
1 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-3, 0-0 CUSA) vs Gardner-Webb (1-3, 0-0 Big South)
Location: Holmes
Convocation Center | Boone, N.C.
Friday, September 6
7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-3, 0-0 CUSA) at Appalachian State (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Location: Holmes
Convocation Center | Boone, N.C.
Saturday, September 7
12 p.m. – Kennesaw State (0-3, 0-0 CUSA) vs East Tennessee State (2-1, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Holmes
Convocation Center | Boone, N.C.
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KENNESAW, Ga. – This weekend Kennesaw State Volleyball will make its first-ever trip to Boone, N.C., to play in the Mountaineer Classic at Appalachian State. The Owls will begin the event by taking on Gardner-Webb on Friday at 1 p.m., before facing the host Mountaineers at 7 p.m. in the nightcap. Saturday will close out tournament action with the Owls facing Gardner-Webb at 12 p.m., and all three games in the tournament will be streamed live on ESPN+.
KSU has limited history with Gardner-Webb and the host App State Mountaineers, having played the two schools just a combined four times and not since the 2011 season. ETCU meanwhile does hold a 12-4 record in the all-time series against the Owls, but the teams have only played once in the last decade, a 3-1 win by Kennesaw State on Sept. 2, 2023.
Kennesaw State knew this would be a transition year as the Owls are replacing five seniors that were a significant part of the team's success over the past five years at KSU. That was shown in the team's opening weekend, as despite inspired play from their returning starters along with an impressive debut performance from the freshman class, the Owls would drop all three games in the Kennesaw State Invitational last weekend in the Convocation Center.
KSU did show growth over the weekend though. After opening with a 3-1 loss to Wichita State and a loss to Big Ten member Indiana, the Owls came back on day two and won the first two sets in the second game against Wichita State, before eventually falling in five.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Junior outside hitter
Manu Johnsen, 2022 Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and two-time All-ASUN selection, is the top returning Owl this season as she lead the Atlantic Sun in both kills and points per set a year ago while also ranking in the top 50 in the nation in both categories. She also paced the Owls in aces per game in 2023 as well. Middle blocker
Olivia Burrage and setter
Kourtney Brown also return for KSU after earning conference all-freshman honors a year ago, while senior
Caroline Cole is expected to play a big role in her final season with the Black and Gold.
SCOUTING THE Bulldogs
Gardner-Webb is 1-3 on the season, with opening-weekend losses to Norfolk State and Miami (OH), both by 3-0 scores, as well as a 3-2 loss to Elon on Sept. 3. The lone win was a 3-1 victory against Lamar.
It's expecting to be a transitional year for a Gardner-Webb squad picked seventh in the Big South preseason poll and led by first-year head coach Alex Hinsxey. Pacing the team so far this season is Cayton White with 3.33 kills per set, while Isabella Raciunas is next on offense with 3.00 kps.
SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
The host school is 1-2 on the year after opening with a 3-2 win over Ohio, before falling to Wright State 3-0 and 3-2 at Ohio this past weekend. The Mountaineers were picked to finish fifth in the East Division of the Sun Belt conference in the league's preseason poll last month.
Preseason All-Sun Belt Maya Winterhoff is the team's top defensive player at the net, with a 1.08 blocks per set average while also pacing the team in kills with 3.23 per set.
SCOUTING THE Buccaneers
East Tennessee State is 2-1 on the season, thanks to a 3-0 win over Elon and a 3-1 victory over Davidson at the Wildcat Classic in Davidson, N.C., last weekend. ETSU did come up short in its contest with Marshall, falling by a 3-0 margin.
A pair of players are averaging over three kills a set on offense, as Brianna Cantrell is posting 3.10 kps, while Amanda Love is contributing 3.0 kps.
