KSU’s volleyball team split its weekend home slate against league competition, keeping its record at .500 and earning its first Atlantic Sun Conference win under first-year head coach Keith Schunzel with a 3-0 victory over USC Upstate at home on Friday night.
“It was a good win,” Schunzel said. “The team came out and was focused and we put together a nice, consistent effort which is always tough to do in conference. I thought our team did a good job of sustaining a high level of play throughout the match and our defensive intensity was there as well.”
The match wasn’t even close. KSU took the sets 25- 14, 25-14, and 25-16 and held the Spartans to a .000 hitting percentage. Sophomore Toure Hopkins led the team with 12 kills, while Keyaira Stevenson followed with nine. Sara Metroka put up 33 assists, while libero Camille Pedraza led the team with 19 digs. The loss dropped USC Upstate to 0-9 on the season.
The Owls didn’t have as much luck the next afternoon. KSU’s loss to East Tennessee State ended its five-game winning streak. The Lady Buccaneers won the sets 25-15, 25-21, 25-27 and 25-19. “The first set and a half we were very disappointed in our level of intensity and preparedness,” Schunzel said. “We were a little shell shocked at first, which is not how we’ve been in the past.” Stevenson once again led the Owls in kills with 12, followed by freshman Kelly Marcinek’s 10. Metroka had 35 assists and Pedraza recorded 19 digs.
The Owls found some footing near the end of the second set and into the third. “The last two and a half sets were what we expect and what needs to happen against a team like that,” Schunzel said. ETSU’s win moved them in a tie for first place (8-6, 2-0 A-Sun), while the Owls slid to 6-6 and 1-1 in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
KSU will play its first road tests in the conference schedule when it visits Florida Gulf Coast (2-10, 1-1 A-Sun) on Friday. The Owls will make a quick trip from Fort Myers to Deland, Fl., to play Stetson on Saturday.
