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WICHITA, Kansas – Kennesaw State volleyball showed that having an experienced team can be the difference maker, as the Owls opened the 2025 season with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-21) sweep at Wichita State in the opening game of the Shocker Volleyball Classic on Friday night from Charles Koch Arena. The Owls avenged their season-opening loss to WSU from the 2024 season, as KSU dropped a pair of matches to the Shockers in the KSU Invitational, before repaying the favor on Friday.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior outside hitter
Manu Johnsen led all players with 16 kills and added 16 digs for a double-double.
STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls held Wichita State to a .098 hitting percentage for the night, and the best set the Shockers had was .111 in the second. KSU finished with just a .198 percentage, but posted 15 more kills in the game than the hosts.
THE RUNDOWN – All three sets were close battles that would go back and forth all night long. There were a total of 15 ties in the first set, the last off a kill from WSU to tie the secore at 25-25. Back-to-back errors from the Shockers would give the win and a 1-0 lead to the Owls. Set two saw the strongest run of play from WSU, as they went up by six points several times, the last at 15-9. The Owls then made the run to change the momentum of the set and the match, scoring eight of the next nine points for a 17-16 advantage. Johnsen posted four kills during the run, while a block from
Maggie Butkovich capped the run. A 3-0 run from WSU gave them a 23-21 lead, before the Owls scored the final four points, with a kill from Johnsen giving KSU a 25-23 victory. In set three, WSU led 14-12 until a 3-0 run from the Owls put them back ahead 15-14. KSU would not trail again and taking a 20-16 lead. After the Shockers closed within 23-21, back-to-back kills from
Olivia Burrage closed out the win (25-21).
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"I'm so proud of this group. That's a heck of a program we beat tonight with a long, proud history and tradition. Both teams were sloppy at times, but that's typical for first weekend. We had some huge moments late in sets by our leaders which is exactly what needs to happen to win big games, especially on the road. It's a long way to go and a lot of things to clean up. But I'm super proud of our performance tonight to open the season."
NOTES
-Burrage finished with nine kills and a team-high .412 hitting percentage (9K-2E-17TA).
-The Owls' setter duo of
Kaeley Walz and
Kourtney Brown finished with 22 and 21 assists, respectively, while Brown added a career-high four aces. Wichita State as a team finished with just one ace.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls take on the Arkansas Razorbacks to close out action in the tournament on Saturday in a 3 p.m. contest.
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. Joining The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
