The Kennesaw State volleyball team returned to the court over the weekend to begin their season, facing off against three teams over two days in Birmingham, Ala.
On Friday, Aug. 24, the Owls took to the court winning games against both Loyola Chicago and McNeese State. The Owls shut out both teams, immediately establishing their talent during 3-0 victories.
The Owls started off strong against Loyola, winning the first set 25-18. Fighting hard in the second set, the Ramblers tied the game at 26 points each before the Owls forced two errors to win. The third set was a tight 25-22 bout that confirmed the first sweep of the year for the Owls.
Three players tied for a game-high ten kills while Lexi Broadwater led the way with 42 assists.
After a short break, they returned to the court to face McNeese State. They won each set by more than five points as Broadwater continued to provide a plethora of assists.
“I’m proud of our team for a nice start today,” Head Coach Keith Schunzel said. “But our team also knows we have a lot of areas we want and need to improve on. This team is a long way away from reaching our ceiling, which is a good thing.”
On Saturday, the Owls faced off against Samford in a thrilling five-set tilt. Liesl Engelbrecht highlighted the match as she became the all-time block leader in school history. After falling behind in the first two sets, the Owls rallied to win the match 3-2.
“That was a tale of two completely different Kennesaw State teams,” Schunzel said. “The first two sets was a team that got pushed around, was reactive to everything, and was getting blasted. Games three, four and five was the Kennesaw State team that I know.”
At the start of what hopes to be another winning season, the Owls will be back on the court this week. The first home game of the season will be on Thursday, Aug. 30, against High Point while they host Presbyterian the next day.
