After finishing as runner-up in the Atlantic Sun Conference last year following a successful regular season, the Kennesaw State volleyball team will seek to finish first in this upcoming season.
Two years ago, head coach Keith Schunzel helped lead the Owls to their first ASUN title in program history, winning 21 matches and six of seven sets during the conference tournament.
Last season was nearly as successful and more dramatic, with KSU winning 24 matches during a season that included a four-match losing streak immediately followed by a 14-match winning streak.
During the conference tournament, the Owls overcame Lipscomb in five sets during the semifinal match that went back and forth. In another close match, KSU fell just short in the championship against Florida Gulf Coast despite coming back from two sets down to force a decisive fifth set.
The good news for the Owls is that important players who have been a part of the combined 45-12 team over the past two seasons will be returning this year.
On the forefront of the offense will be junior Lauren Chastang and senior Lexi Broadwater, who respectively led the team in kills and assists last season.
In addition to being consistent forces on the team last season, the two were among the best in the conference at their positions. Broadwater led the ASUN in assists with 1354 while Chastang finished third in the conference with 417 kills.
On Monday, Aug. 19, it was announced that the dynamic duo were chosen as preseason All-Conference selections.
Lining up behind those two will be junior middle blocker Quin Sutphin and junior defensive specialist Karlee Groover. Often times the momentum of matches depend on defensive efficiency and instincts — two attributes these two displayed last season.
Sutphin led the ASUN with 26 solo blocks and was second in overall blocks with 128, while Groover finished second in digs with 510.
The returning quality and experience that the volleyball team has will also coexist with the relative youth that constitutes the majority of the team. Ten of the 15 players on this year’s roster are freshmen or sophomores, which will likely contribute to a wide variety of lineups for Schunzel.
Most notable of the sophomores is outside hitter Dani Ballou, who was named to the ASUN All-Freshman team last season. She proved to a versatile player who contributed in multiple ways, finishing with 192 kills, 54 digs and 33 blocks.
With all of the players set to star for the team this season, there are still a couple of major gaps to be filled. Graduating after last season were Sydni Shelton and KSU all-time blocks leader Liesl Engelbrecht.
Shelton was a reliable outside hitter who was a former All-Freshman second team All-Conference selection. Last season, she racked up 293 kills and finished her career with 1024.
Engelbrecht was twice named in the first-team All-Conference group while finishing her KSU career with 367 blocks.
The Owls will start their season with an exhibition match at Jacksonville State on Saturday, Aug. 24, before beginning their regular season at the Big Orange Bash Tournament hosted by Clemson. The first match of the tournament will be against Wofford on Friday, Aug. 30.
