Daniel Miller (Staff Writer)
The KSU volleyball team won its home conference opener 3-1 against the Northern Kentucky Norse in what was an electric atmosphere Friday night at the Convocation Center.
The Owls (8-8, 2-0) sealed the victory with a 25-23 win in the fourth set after the Norse threatened to come back from a two-set deficit.
“The fight of this group continues to amaze me,” said KSU head coach Keith Schunzel.
Kelly Marcinek followed her record-setting performance last week with a game-high 16 kills to go along with 11 digs and three aces.
The Owls got things flowing right from the opening set and won the Convocation Center’s first two Atlantic Sun sets of the season.
Junior Cierra Royster, who missed the last 10 games with an apparent ankle injury, returned to action and provided the energy right away for KSU in earning the match’s first kill. Royster contributed in a big way, finishing with 14 kills and 4 digs, but her presence back in the lineup goes beyond the numbers.
There is a reason why her teammates have nicknamed her “Rockin”.
“[Royster] brings a different energy about her,”Schunzel said. “She’s an impact player.
“What makes Kelly [Marcinek] special and [Royster] a piece of this too is that there is something about players like that. They absolutely hate to lose, and there is just this edge on them that separates them from other people.”
KSU won the decisive fourth set after NKU’s third-set win extended the match, but it wasn’t easy.
The Owls raced out to a 13-8 advantage before the Norse rallied off five consecutive points to tie the game 13-13. Once again it was Marcinek leading the way for KSU with back-to-back kills and an ace, giving the Owls breathing room at 16-14.
Both squads would proceed to trade points back and forth until the Norse captured a 23-22 advantage. The deficit quickly vanished as KSU kept its composure and closed out the Norse with kills from seniors Chade Martin and Ria Ridley before Marcinek secured the win with an ace.
After the match Royster was more then happy about being able to be back on the court with her teammates.
“It’s a feeling you can’t really describe,” Royster said. “Just being out there with people that you love to play with and compete with–it’s rejuvenating, its refreshing, its fun.”
Throughout the week, Schunzel was preaching to his players that the next important game is the game right in front of you.
“We talked about that no matter what happened we were 1-0 with a chance to go 2-0 in conference,” Schunzel said. “We finally had a chance to close a team out in the 4th set and we did it.”
The Owls will have a quick turnaround and be back in action tomorrow at 3 p.m versus the Lipscomb Bisons in the Convocation Center. Admission is free for all KSU students.