STATESBORO, Ga. – Kennesaw State's Haley Patterson recorded the first double-double of her career, and she teamed with Olivia Burrage for 31 total kills, but the Owls dropped a 3-1 decision (25-27, 21-25, 25-21, 17-25) at Georgia Southern in women's college volleyball action on Thursday night in the opening match of the Eagle Invitational from Hanner Fieldhouse.
The loss moved the Owls to 5-5 on the season, while Georgia Southern improved to 6-4.
OWL OF THE GAME: Patterson paced the Owls with 16 kills and added a career-high 13 digs for the first double-double of her KSU career.
STAT OF THE GAME: Kennesaw State held a 59-53 advantage in kills but was hurt by 29 attack errors, nearly twice the Eagles' total of 15. The Owls finished with a .184 hitting percentage, while the Eagles hit .259.
THE RUNDOWN – Kennesaw State led for the majority of a tightly contested opening set and held set point at 24-23 following a Patterson kill. The Eagles responded with two straight points before the Owls tied the score at 25-25, but the Eagles claimed the final two points for a 27-25 victory.
Georgia Southern jumped out to an 11-6 advantage in the second set and extended the margin to six at 20-14. KSU fought off three set points with a 3-0 run to close within 24-21 before the Eagles scored the next point to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Owls answered in the third set after falling behind 10-5. KSU scored 14 of the next 20 points to move ahead 19-16, with Olivia Burrage contributing four kills during the comeback. Georgia Southern closed within 23-21, but kills from Maggie Byrd and Patterson finished off the 25-21 victory.
KSU carried that momentum into the fourth set and opened an early 7-2 advantage. Georgia Southern answered with seven consecutive points to take its first lead of the frame. The teams were tied at 13-13 before the Eagles used a 9-1 run to take control on the way to the 25-17 win.
NOTES
- Patterson finished with 16 kills and a career-high 13 digs for her first career double-double.
- Burrage recorded 15 kills on .355 hitting and added a team-high four blocks. Her kill total was one shy of her career high.
- Alexis Sowers led all players with 20 digs, her second 20-dig performance of the season.
- Ashlyn Anderson added nine kills while hitting .304.
- Kourtney Brown posted her first double-double of the season with 24 assists and 14 digs.
- KSU also held an advantage in digs for the match (68-60).
- The Owls' 21 kills in the third set were their most in a set this season.
NEXT TIME OUT
Kennesaw State continues play in the Eagle Invitational on Friday against Fordham. First serve is scheduled for 5 p.m. inside Hanner Fieldhouse.
