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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball's blockers came up huge on Sunday and the Owls learned their lesson from Saturday, holding off several runs to claim a 3-0 sweep (25-22, 25-23, 26-24) over Troy at VyStar Arena.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior
Manu Johnsen led all players with 13 kills and four aces, while also adding seven digs in the victory.
STAT OF THE GAME: KSU held a dominate 12-2 advantage on team blocks for the afternoon, which came up huge as the Owls won the three sets by a combined seven points.
Haley Patterson doubled her previous career high with eight total blocks, while
Olivia Burrage added seven.
THE RUNDOWN – The Owls came out hitting strong in the first set, posting a .444 (14K-2E-27TA) as they battled back and forth with the Trojans. Troy held a 16-15 lead when a kill from Johnsen started a 5-2 run and the Owls never trailed again in the set. The Trojans did close within 22-21, until the Owls scored three of the next four points to take a 1-0 edge.
The second set saw a series of runs by both teams. The Owls jumped out to a 9-3 lead, before Troy scored six unanswered to tie the set. Then a 6-0 KSU run was answered by a 9-1 spurt, with the visitors taking a 21-20 lead. Troy led 23-22 when Johnsen gave KSU a sideout with a kill, and then ended the set with back-to-back aces for a 2-0 Owl lead. The Owls hit just .000 in that set, but made up for it with seven blocks.
A 7-1 run midway through the third set put Troy up 12-8. It was an 18-15 led for the Trojans when back-to-back kills from Johnsen along with solo kills from
Kiernan Stamey and
Maggie Butkovich put KSU up 19-18. Troy wouldn't go away easily, coming back for set point at 24-23 before a
Haley Patterson kill started a run of three straight Owl points. Fittingly, a block by Patterson and
Maggie Byrd ended the set and the match to give KSU the sweep.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"A strong response by our group today after two disappointing losses. Against a Troy team with a lot of firepower from their pin attackers, I thought we stayed a little more mentally stable through the ups and downs today. Our offense carried us in set 1, our serve and defense carried us in set 2, and in set 3 we made some big time plays down the stretch to finish off the sweep."
NOTES
-KSU hit .206 (37K-16E-102TA) as a team, while the Trojans were held under .200 (.184).
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Kaeley Walz led the Owls in assists with 17, while
Leah Freeman's nine digs were a team-high.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will play a pair of games in Knoxville, Tenn., starting with a neutral contest against Alabama A&M on Thursday at 3 p.m., and will follow that with a game against the Lady Vols on Friday at 6:30 p.m., in a game that will be streamed live on SECN+/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. Joining The Owls Fund here and discover more opportunities on how you can support Kennesaw State Athletics.
