In their Atlantic Sun Conference home opener, the Kennesaw State volleyball team swept Stetson University 3-0 on Friday, Sept. 28, leading to 12-4 and extending their winning streak to six matches.
By winning, the Owls extended their home-winning streak against Stetson to four games dating back to 2015. They also continued their historical success against the Hatters, now leading the all-time series 16-6.
Leading the way for the Owls were familiar names Lauren Chastang and Lexi Broadwater. Chastang led all players with 12 kills and Broadwater contributed 39 assists to go along with five kills of her own.
The first set was evenly matched until the Owls were able to take a 22-15 lead before ultimately winning the first set with a score of 25-16.
The second set saw Stetson jump out to an early 6-2 lead. Thanks to the Owls’ defense, they were able to climb back into the game. With a few costly errors on the part of the Hatters, the Owls eventually claimed the second set with a score of 25-18.
In the third set, the Owls made it a point to come out strong defensively while continuing the dominant offensive approach they had displayed throughout the game. KSU led throughout the set and ultimately completed the sweep with a score of 25-13.
Coach Keith Schunzel was thrilled with the outcome, highlighting skills with which his team played.
“I think we did a really good job on the serve and pass game. Our serving pressure was aggressive. It was consistent. On the flip side, our back row players did a fabulous job getting the ball to Lexi,” Schunzel said. “Early on, I don’t think our defensive intensity was where it needed to be, so I challenged our team in our first timeout to turn that up. Once we did that, I thought the match was really well played.”
The Owls stayed at home to play North Florida on Sunday, defeating the Osprey 3-1. The win extended their winning streak to seven games while improving their overall record to 13-4.
After losing the first set 25-23, the Owls rebounded to handily take the following three sets.
Chastang recorded her 15th consecutive match with double-digit kills totaling 14, while Quin Sutphin matched a career high with eight blocks.
“A lot of what we’ve been working on with Lauren is just staying high around the block, not missing the ball low into the net and not making silly errors when she shouldn’t be,” Schunzel said. “She had a fantastic game passing and hitting. She’s just doing awesome stuff this year.”
The Owls will be on the road this week, visiting Florida Gulf Coast on Friday, Oct. 7 before traveling to Virginia to play Liberty University on Sunday.
