Follow KSU Volleyball - X | Instagram
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Kennesaw State Volleyball bounced back from a disappointing conference opener, as the Owls used a record-setting performance behind the service line to top the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 3-1 (25-13, 31-33, 25-22, 25-18) on Saturday at Memorial Alumni Gymnasium. KSU moves to 7-5 for the year, 1-1 in the league, while MTSU dropped to 8-5 (1-1 CUSA).
STAT OF THE GAME: After recording six aces in Friday's game, the Owls exploded for a school-record 16 against the Blue Raiders on Saturday. That broke the previous record of 14, set twice before including earlier this season against Alabama A&M.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior Manu Johnson had a huge game, nearly recording a triple-double after posting a game-high 16 kills, along with 10 digs and a new KSU school record nine aces. That was three times as many as MTSU had overall as a team. Johnsen also added a pair of blocks in the victory.
THE RUNDOWN – KSU served notice early it would be a different game, with three early aces on the way to a 9-5 advantage. MTSU would really to tie the match at 11-11 thanks to a 3-0 run. The Owls quickly took control back, going on a 13-1 run, which at one point featured three straight aces from Johnsen, to run away with the opening set. The second set was tight the entire way, and it was a 20-20 contest when MTSU scored three straight to go up by three. A kill from Johnson started a 4-1 run to tie the set at 24-24, and the Owls had set point twice but it would be MTSU that closed out the set for a win, tying the match at 1-1.
KSU came out strong in set three, going up 5-1 before the Blue Raiders came back to grab their first lead at 10-9. The score was tied at 13-13 when the Owls scored seven of the next nine for a 20-15 lead and never trailed again in the set to go up 2-1. Set four was close to the same script, with KSU up early before MTSU coming back to go up 10-9. This time, a 5-0 run for KSU gave them the lead for good at 16-12, while after the edge closed within 20-18, the Owls scored the final five points, with a kill from Johnsen giving KSU the clinching match point.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"Nice show of pride and character by our team today to bounce back in a big way after a pretty disastrous opening night effort yesterday. Our first contact on the pass and serve were both significantly better and gave us opportunities all day on both offense and defense to score. But what set the tone of that match from the get go was our defensive mentality and fighters attitude. It was clear as day that our women decided to be different today after getting punched in the mouth last night, and it showed."
NOTES
-Two more Owls finished in double-figures for kills in the match, with
Olivia Burrage and
Ashlyn Anderson both posting 10 each.
-
Kourtney Brown and
Kaeley Walz also both tied each other for the team lead in assists with 22.
-Courtney Chasting paced KSU in digs with 13, while
Maggie Byrd finished with a team-high five blocks.
-KSU hit .250 (61K-24E-148TA) for the match, while MTSU finished at .160 (43K-22E-131TA).
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will face FIU in their CUSA home opener next weekend, taking on the Panthers on Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 pm, and then turning around for a 1 pm contest on Saturday, Oct. 4. 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.
