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BOONE, N.C. – Kennesaw State Volleyball picked up its first two wins of the year in decisive fashion on Friday, as the Owls posted a pair of 3-0 sweeps over Gardner-Webb and Appalachian State on the first day of the Mountaineer Classic in the Holmes Convocation Center.
OWLS VS GARDNER-WEBB
STAT OF THE GAME: Five Owls hit .393 or higher in the game, and as a team they finished at .a season-high .310 (50K-14E-116TA).
OWL OF THE GAME: Olivia Burrage had a monster game, posting a .647 hitting percentage after posting 13 kills, just one off her career-high, while adding three blocks.
THE RUNDOWN – KSU looked like it was going to run away with the first set, as they scored 13 of the first 15 points of the afternoon and led 17-4 at one point before using the entire bench in the set. Gardner-Webb made a comeback, scoring 11 of the next 14 to close within 21-16, but kills from
Manu Johnsen and
Ashlyn Anderson finished off the win. Set two again saw KSU go up big early, this time at 9-3. It was a 15-10 lead for the Owls when the Bulldogs reeled off seven unanswered to take its largest lead of any set of the day, 17-15. Burrage then took over, as she was responsible for the next five points of the game. A kill from Johnsen finished off the 6-0 run, and the Owls closed out the 25-21 win. Set three was never in doubt, with the Owls going up 13-4 on the way to a 25-12 win.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Glad to get one, and at times in the first set and most of the third I thought we played really clean. I think the lesson from that match was no matter who the opponent is, you have to make one touch after another better, and we got messy in part of the game. Really happy with the engagement of our team and how hard we played, and we just need to try and put pressure on the entire time. One of the nice things about our team is that we have depth and a good number of people that can do different things.
Maggie Byrd played really good today while
Ashlyn Anderson keeps getting better every day."
NOTES
-Joining Burrage in double-figures for kills was Johnsen with 12 and Anderson with 10.
-
Caroline Cole and
Leah Freeman both posted 11 digs each to pace the team, while
Kaeley Walz led KSU with 21 assists.
OWLS VS APPALACHIAN STATE
STAT OF THE GAME: The Mountaineers were limited to a .175 hitting percentage (33K-16E-97TA), after an outstanding defensive game from the Owls.
OWL OF THE GAME: Johnsen had a strong all-around game with 11 kills, three aces and nine digs.
THE RUNDOWN – The opening set was a thrilling back-and-forth battle, with a total of five lead changes and 13 ties. App State would reach set point first at 24-23, and held it again at 25-24. The Owls kept battling back, and a pair of kills from
Kiernan Stamey and
Caroline Chastang led KSU to a 29-27 victory and 1-0 win. Set two saw the Owls use a 7-1 run midway through to grab a 13-7 advantage. App State closed within one twice, but the Owls answered every charge and took set two 25-20 after another Chastang kill. The Mountaineers led the majority of the third set, going up early 5-2 and held its last lead at 16-14. A 5-0 run gave KSU the lead back for good, while Johnsen's kill sealed the win.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Loved out road mentality tonight. We're a young team, trying to figure some things out, about who we are and who we can become. Really proud of our group for coming in with a determined mindset and we played consistent volleyball."
NOTES
-The Owls' set win streak moved to six with the sweep.
-KSU's back-to-back sweeps were the first for the team since October of 2023, and this marked the first time the Owls had two sweeps on the same day since the season-opener in 2018.
-Chastang posted 12 kills to join Johnsen in double-figures.
-Walz led the Owls with 22 assists, and Freeman had a team-best 18 digs.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out action in the Mountaineer Invitational on Saturday with a 12 p.m. contest against East Tennessee State.
