Kennesaw State’s volleyball team played three matches last week, visiting Lipscomb on Wednesday, Oct. 17, before hosting North Alabama and the New Jersey Institute of Technology later in the week.
Quin Sutphin contributed in all three games as she helped lead the Owls to three wins that continued their thirteen-game winning streak and improved their overall record to 19-4.
Though the sophomore middle blocker is known for her defensive abilities, Sutphin contributed in the offensive areas last week by adding 31 kills in addition to racking up 23 blocks over the three matches. Her block total this season is now 101, making her the second player in KSU history to go over the century mark in blocks for a single season.
On Monday, Oct. 22, the ASUN conference announced Sutphin earned the conference Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week awards for her performances last week.
This marks the first time in team history that a player won two weekly awards simultaneously.
KSU had a historic night in Nashville, Tennessee, against Lipscomb University as they defeated the Bisons in a five-set match.
The Owls broke a program record for blocks in a single match with 21, and Sutphin became the first Owl to record a double-double with a combination of blocks and kills. In addition, Lauren Chastang recorded 21 kills and 19 digs, while Sydni Shelton contributed with 14 kills and seven blocks.
After losing the first set 31-29, the Owls won the following two sets before dropping the fourth. The final set saw the Owls get to an early lead before pulling away 15-9.
“No matter how you spin this one, winning at Lipscomb is always something to be excited about,” head coach Keith Schunzel said. “We did a good job of staying really disciplined and blocking with aggressive intent tonight, which resulted in a tremendous performance up front.”
KSU came back home on Friday, Oct. 19, hosting the University of North Alabama to play a four-set match.
Each set was close, but the Lions were defeated in the first two sets and ultimately were unable to complete the comeback.
The lone set victory for UNA was a 25-19 win in the third set but the consistency of Chastang and Sutphin allowed the Owls to pull away in the fourth set to claim victory. Lexi Broadwater had five aces during the match, bringing her season total to 34 and now ranking second in team history for aces in a single season.
The Owls finished up their victorious week by sweeping the NJIT Highlanders on Sunday, led by Shelton’s team-leading 10 kills.
With the victory, KSU clinched a place in the ASUN Tournament as they continue to lead the conference with a 10-0 record. The next three teams behind the Owls in the conference still remain on the schedule.
Despite Chastang’s injury during Friday’s match, several players stepped in to contribute offensively. Freshman Dani Ballou recorded eight kills while opposite hitter Madeline Johnson added seven of her own.
After the Owls won the first set, the Highlanders responded by taking an 8-5 lead early in the second set. After a kill by Sutphin, the Owls dominated the remainder of the set by scoring 20 of the next 22 points.
The third set also began close as the teams remained deadlocked at eight points apiece before the Owls once again pulled away to finish off the match.
“We put out a little different lineup on the floor today, but we were really clean on the serve … ” Schunzel said. “Lauren tweaked her ankle a little bit real late Friday night, which was kind of a bummer, but it was cool today because we had to have other people fill in for her in the front row.”
The Owls travel to Florida next to play matches against the University of North Florida on Friday, Oct. 26, and Stetson University on Saturday, Oct. 27.
