Laura Chastang recorded 41 kills over the three matches played in Troy, Alabama as the Owls swept their weekend series.
The volleyball team began its weekend against Florida A&M on Friday, Sept. 14. Chastang and Liesl Engelbrecht had 14 kills each while Lexi Broadwater recorded a double-double with 35 assists and 12 digs.
Only three sets were needed as the Owls snapped a four-game losing streak in beating the Rattlers. The first two sets were tight early on until the Owls found ways to break through and dominate. By the third set, they had total control.
Later that day, KSU played hosts Troy in a more closely-contested match. While Chastang led the way again with 13 kills, Quin Sutphin and Sydni Shelton were close behind. Engelbrecht finished the match with 10 blocks.
The Owls were down early, conceding the first set 25-12. Settling in the second set, they managed to hold on to win before losing the third set. The Trojans got out to an early lead in the fourth set but KSU fought through, coming from behind to 25-15. An exciting final set saw the Owls score six consecutive points to finish off the Trojans 15-7.
“Really proud of our team. We learned a lot of things about ourselves tonight and pulled out a solid road win in the process,” said head coach Keith Schunzel. “It was an up and down match statistically for both teams but we had some really nice performances, attacking and blocking from Quin Sutphin and Sydni Shelton.”
In the final game on Saturday against Jacksonville State, Shelton tied the team’s season-high for kills with 19. The Owls came from behind to beat the Gamecocks after dropping the first two sets.
Losing each of the first two sets by the minimum of two points, KSU handily won the third set before taking advantage of their opponent’s errors to win the final two sets.
“To come back from a two-set deficit against any team is really hard, so I couldn’t be prouder of our players for staying calm and staying the course,” Schunzel said. “As a coach, it’s clear as day we need to keep working to achieve more consistent play.”
Three Owls were given awards following the three matches that comprised the Troy Classic. While Chastang was named as the MVP for the overall event, Shelton and defensive specialist Karlee Groover were named to the All-Tournament team.
The Owls go on the road this week as they first travel to play the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Friday, Sept. 21, before they head south to visit North Alabama on Sunday.
