Kennesaw State volleyball defeated the Furman Paladins 3-0 in their first home game of the season on Thursday evening.
The Owls recorded a season-high hitting percentage of .301 as they made their way to the victory. The Owls led the way in all statistical categories including kills, blocks, aces and digs.
This was the Owls’ first home game of the season, making it count by showing their dominance in all three sets. The Owls received contributions from a number of different players, which helped them earn the victory.
“It was a nice team effort tonight against a solid team,” head coach Keith Schunzel said. “We had lots of really good contributions from a lot of people. Our depth gives us such an advantage and tonight we had a lot of people compete at a really high level.”
Dani Ballou led the Owls with 11 kills and nine digs on the night. Claire Parsons lead both teams with five blocks. Jasmine Brown and Emma Schurfranz both ended with four blocks each.
The contest was close throughout the sets. The final two sets saw eight ties and four lead changes compared to the one tie and lead change in the first set. The Paladins started slowly in the first set but showed the Owls fierce competition throughout the final two.
The Owls were able to contain the Paladins in the first set after almost doubling their score with a set win of 25-13. The early signs of a sweep were evident but not yet set in stone. The momentum was with the Owls from the opening serve as they led the entire first set.
The Owls allowed the Paladins to open a quick 3-1 lead, but they went on an 8-3 run to overtake the lead and they would hold this lead for the rest of the set. The Owls were close to a set win until the Paladins went on a 3-0 run to cut the lead to one. The next play would end the set as senior, Lanie Vantrease, delivered the set-ending kill to give the Owls the win.
The final set had a multitude of score changes, with a total of five ties and two lead changes. The Owls opened the set strong but the Paladins would come from behind and take the lead after going on a 6-0 run. The Owls would take a 4-point lead, but it wasn’t safe as the Paladins would come back and force another tie. The set was close until the 20-point mark when the Owls went on a 5-1 run and won the set 25-20.
With that, the Owls hold a 2-0 record against the Paladins and registered their largest margin of victory against them in this match.
The Owls are now 3-1, with this being their first home game of the season. They remain undefeated at the KSU Convocation Center.
The Owls will host Samford at home at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 6 before they head to Mississippi State to take on the Bulldogs Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.
