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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball made short work of South Carolina State on Saturday, as it took just 71 minutes to claim a 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-13) sweep in the Owls' home opener from VyStar Arena. That moved KSU to 3-1 on the season, and marked their second sweep of the season.
OWL OF THE GAME: Senior
Manu Johnsen had another strong performance with a game-high tying nine kills while hitting .600 from the floor. She also added a game-high five aces as well as six digs.
STAT OF THE GAME: SC State struggled with the service attack by the Owls all afternoon long. KSU posted 13 total aces in the three-set win, to just one for the visitors.
THE RUNDOWN – The first and third sets saw the Owls jump out to large leads, including a 15-5 edge in the first set. The third set meanwhile saw KSU use a run to grab an 18-9 lead and their cruised from there. KSU hit over .500 in both of those sets as well, .536 in the opening set and .560 in the third. In the second set, the Bulldogs came out scoring five of the first six, putting the pressure on the home Owls. It was an 8-3 lead for SCSU when the Owls forced a side out. That put the ball in the hands of Johnsen behind the service line. She would spark a run of six straight points, which featured three aces from the senior, and KSU went up 9-8. After the Bulldogs grabbed the lead back at 10-9, KSU scored six of the next seven points to go up 15-11 and it never trailed again.
POSTGAME QUOTES
KSU HEAD COACH KEITH SCHUNZEL
"It was a nice job by our team today overall. We got a little sloppy in the second set and got off to a rough start, but played a nice back half of the set to pull away. We're continuing to challenge our team to hold ourselves to a high level, mentally and physically, no matter who is on the other side of the net. I'm looking forward to another chance to compete tomorrow."
NOTES
-KSU hit a season-high .395 (43K-11E-81TA) for the game, while the Bulldogs were held to a .017 (15K-14E-58TA).
-KSU held a commanding 43-15 edge on kills.
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Kiernan Stamey tied Johnsen for the team led in kills with nine, while
Maggie Byrd added sveen.
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Olivia Burrage led all players with five blocks, and
Leah Freeman had a team-high 10 digs.
NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls close out the two-game series against SC State on Sunday in a 1 p.m. contest at VyStar Arena.
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.
