Follow KSU Volleyball - X | Instagram
KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State Volleyball closed out its home schedule with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-23, 25-21) loss to Conference co-leader UTEP, but still posted some highlights of their own on Senior Day on Saturday afternoon. While the loss did drop the Owls to 10-4 in the conference (16-8 overall), they are still in fourth place in CUSA, with a two-game lead over Liberty with two games left in the regular season. UTEP meanwhile moved to 23-3 overall, 13-1 in CUSA action.
OWL HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME: One day after reaching the 1,500 career kill milestone, senior
Manu Johnsen can now stake claim as the school's all-time career kills leader as her third kill of the afternoon gave her 1,520, breaking the previous record of 1,519 that had been held by former Owl standout Lauren Chastang. Johnsen's current total is 1,528, with at least three games left in her career at KSU.
STAT OF THE GAME: After hitting over .200 in Friday's contest with the Miners, KSU was held to a .157 (38K-20E-115TA). The Miners finished the match hitting .282 (44K-13E-110TA).
THE RUNDOWN – Though KSU never led in the opening set, it was competitive in the opening half, tied at 13-13 before the Miners took control with a 9-2 spurt. The second set could have gone either way, with the Owls battling the entire way, coming back from several five-point deficits in the set. The final one came with KSU down 19-14, but a service error from the Miners led to a 5-0 run for the Owls.
Maggie Byrd's ace tied the score at 19-19, and KSU tied the game three more times, the last at 23-23 on a kill from Johnsen. UTEP held on for the final two points though to claim a 2-0 lead. In the third set, UTEP jumped out to an 8-1 lead, but KSU rallied to tie the set at 9-9 after back-to-back blocks from Maggie Butkovtch and
Olivia Burrage. The Miners countered with a 5-1 run however, and the Owls came no closer than three the rest of the way.
POSTGAME QUOTES – KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"This was a tough weekend for us from a win/loss standpoint. But first of all, that's an excellent team in UTEP. They're ranked 24th in the country in the RPI for a reason. They pressure you in a ton of areas and to beat them you have to be consistent, be sharp, and be ultra competitive for an entire match. This weekend at times we did some of that. At other times, we did not. When opportunities come, you better be ready to capitalize and have the confidence in big moments to execute.
Secondly, I couldn't be more proud of our senior class. These are special, incredible women who have given so much to this program and school on and off the court. I love these four and am so thankful for everything they have done and for who they are."
NOTES
-Honored along with Johnson and Butkovich on the Owls' Senior Day was
Caroline Chastang and
Leah Freeman.
-Johnsen posted another double-double as she added 15 digs to her 11 kill performance.
Kiernan Stamey was next on the team with eight kills.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will finish the regular season with a pair of games in Las Cruces, N.M., against New Mexico State. The first game is set for an 8 p.m. start on Thursday, Nov. 13, while the Friday, Nov. 14 contest will also have an 8 p.m. start. Both games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Owls Fund
The Owls Fund is the primary fundraising arm of Kennesaw State Athletics with the goal of supporting our student-athletes, coaches and each of our 18 NCAA Division I programs. Through initiatives such as Legacy Lockers, the Dot Martin Scholarship Golf Classic, sport-specific giving opportunities, general donations and season tickets, The Owls Fund connects fans with KSU's programs and student-athletes. Members receive exclusive benefits such as hospitality seating areas and events at Kennesaw State home games, and more. Join The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
