BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Kennesaw State volleyball got off to a strong start Saturday afternoon, taking the opening set against Conference USA-leading Western Kentucky before the Hilltoppers rallied for a 3-1 victory (22-25, 25-19, 25-9, 25-18) at E.A. Diddle Arena.
The Owls (9-13, 3-7 CUSA) claimed a set against Western Kentucky for the second consecutive match after earning their first-ever set victory over the Hilltoppers on Friday night. WKU improved to 16-6 overall and remained unbeaten in league play at 10-0.
STAT OF THE GAME
Western Kentucky committed just six attack errors over four sets, finishing with 48 kills on 99 attempts for a .424 hitting percentage. Kennesaw State, meanwhile, recorded 45 kills but committed 29 attack errors, finishing with a .128 hitting percentage.
THE RUNDOWN
Set One (KSU 25, WKU 22)
Kennesaw State came out strong, using two early service aces from Alexis Sowers to build a 6-3 advantage. Western Kentucky rallied to take a 12-10 lead, but the Owls answered with a 4-0 run to move ahead 14-12. The Hilltoppers later used a three-point run to take an 18-16 advantage before KSU fought back to regain the lead at 20-19. The teams continued to battle, with the score tied at 22-22 before a Haley Patterson kill and service ace, followed by an Ashley Theiss kill, gave the Owls the final three points and the 25-22 victory. KSU hit .357 in the set and recorded five service aces.
Set Two (WKU 25, KSU 19)
The Owls carried their momentum into the second set, building an early 7-5 advantage before Western Kentucky responded to move ahead 12-9. The Hilltoppers used a 6-0 run midway through the frame to stretch their lead to 16-10. KSU battled back to cut the deficit to 18-16 following a service ace from Sowers, but WKU answered with three consecutive points and went on to claim the set, 25-19.
Set Three (WKU 25, KSU 9)
Western Kentucky took control early in the third set, scoring the first six points before extending its advantage to 13-2. The Hilltoppers continued to build their lead behind a strong offensive performance, eventually moving ahead 19-3. KSU scored five points during a late stretch, but WKU closed out the 25-9 victory to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Set Four (WKU 25, KSU 18)
Kennesaw State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the fourth set, but Western Kentucky responded with five consecutive points to move ahead 5-2. The Owls rallied to tie the score at 6-6 before the Hilltoppers took control and extended their advantage to 14-9. KSU continued to battle, cutting the margin to 21-17 behind kills from Olivia Burrage, Ava Garner and Anna Ofenheusle. WKU held off the comeback attempt, however, closing out the 25-18 victory to finish the match.
QUOTABLE
Kennesaw State Head Coach Keith Schunzel
"We came out of the gates pretty hot today, hitting at a high clip, and we were able to serve five aces in the first set. Unfortunately, our offense was way too inconsistent the rest of the match, and we really struggled to slow down their offense, in particular Knox on the right side, who very well may be the best player in the league.
"All in all, we had a number of players do some really nice things today, and we again took a set off them. We clearly can compete with that team.
"These last six matches coming up for us, with four at home, will tell the tale of our season. Hopefully, our team is excited and can find some motivation down the stretch to make a run, because we are very physically capable of doing high-level things."
NOTES
- Olivia Burrage led Kennesaw State with 12 kills on .455 hitting (12-2-22), while adding two blocks.
- Burrage increased her school-record career block total to 427.
- Haley Patterson finished with 11 kills, four digs, two blocks and two service aces.
- Ava Garner posted seven kills on .545 hitting (7-1-11), along with three digs and two blocks.
- Anna Ofenheusle added five kills and one dig.
- Ashlyn Anderson and Maggie Byrd each finished with four and three kills, respectively.
- Kaeley Walz led the Owls with 17 assists, while Kourtney Brown added 16 assists and six digs.
- Alexis Sowers finished with a team-high 12 digs, seven assists and three service aces.
- KSU recorded six service aces for the match, with five coming in the opening set.
- Western Kentucky's Kaira Knox led all players with 19 kills on .680 hitting (19-2-25).
NEXT TIME OUT
Kennesaw State returns home for a two-match Conference USA series against Liberty on Friday, Oct. 30, at 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, Oct. 31, at 2 p.m. ET at VyStar Arena.
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