KSU’s volleyball team earned its first road win of the 2013 season on Saturday night when it took down in- state rival Mercer in Macon.
Things looked good for the Owls (8-11, 3-6 A-Sun) early, as they won the first two sets 25-21 and 25-19, but Mercer battled back with urgency in an attempt to claim its first conference win in what has been a frustrating season for the Bears (1-19, 0-10 A-Sun).
Head coach Keith Schunzel, who picked up his first road win as coach of the program as well, didn’t downplay the ability of the opponent.
“I couldn’t be any prouder of our team and the way we pulled that match out,” Schunzel said. “Especially after controlling sets one and two and playing at a very high level. Mercer really stepped up their game and punched us right in the mouth, then our players came out in set five with a determination and look on their faces that I haven’t seen all year.”
Sara Metroka scored an ace to give the Owls a 10-7 advantage in the shortened fifth set, which included a 5-0 run by the Owls to run away. Keyaira Stevenson, who recorded just three kills, put the match away with a final kill.
Mercer scraped by in the third set after trailing 2-0, but turned it in a new gear with a 25-17 win set four, taking all of the momentum away from the Black and Gold.
“I’m really proud of all three seniors for displaying incredible leadership on the road and this is a huge step forward for our program,” Schunzel said.
Sophomore Toure Hopkins and freshman Kelly Marcinek both registered 17 kills and 11 digs to earn double-doubles for the Owls, while Sara Metroka led with 40 assists and Camille Pedraza had 18 digs to lead the team.
Megan McGuinness led the team with a .545 hitting percentage.
With the victory, the Owls are now tied for fourth in the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with nine matches left. KSU will get a chance to extend a win streak in conference for the first time this season when it plays at USC Upstate (2-8, 2-17 A-Sun) tonight in Spartanburg, S.C.
The Owls next home match will be Friday at 7 p.m. against the Stetson Hatters.
