Kennesaw State Volleyball took a heart-wrenching 3-1 loss against Lipscomb at Allen Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on Nov. 5.
This loss is the third straight road match that KSU has dropped. KSU now sits at a 16-8 overall record and 9-5 in league play while Lipscomb improved to 13-12 overall and 10-4 in the ASUN. The Owls are now in sixth place with just two regular-season games left.
The Owls and Bison began to set one powerfully as the match began with tight competition. KSU scored two straight points for an advantage of 8-6 to never fall behind again. The Owls tried their best to pull away from the competition but could not shake the Bison. Lipscomb fought to stay in the game with the score of 20-18 as they trailed. The Owls were able to take the set due to the advantage of an attack error, placing the set score at 25-21.
Set two was truly an uphill battle for both teams. In spite of the Bison’s early 5-2 lead, KSU tied the set at 5-5. Lipscomb successfully took the first set point, but KSU was not far behind. The Owls notched its first set point at 28-27. Both competitors received service errors leaving Lipscomb ahead 31-30. Lipscomb then finished the set with a kill, leaving the score at 32-30.
In set three, Emma Schurfranz closed the gap and brought KSU within 13-11 with a kill. The Bison answered to this by scoring seven of the following eight points which was intertwined with a 12-3 run ending the set.
Starting set four, KSU hit the ground running. Claire Parsons and Jasmine Brown both put up kills propelling the Owls up 4-1. The score was primarily in favor of the Owls for most of the set. When the score tallied 21-20, Lipscomb went on a 3-0 run giving them the first lead of the set, putting a 23-21 edge over the Owls. Schurfranz made sure to end Lipscomb’s run with a kill, however, this was not enough to hold off the Bison. Lipscomb finished the set and match.
“This was certainly a better effort tonight. We played together as a team, unlike last night,” head coach Keith Schunzel said. “We just need to sustain longer stretches of good, consistent play.”
Schunzel continued, “Right now the main thing is we need to rest. We’re tired, both mentally and physically. Before the tournament starts, we need to figure a way to play with more confidence. If we can find our confidence again, I like our chances.”
KSU has a chance to bounce back and redeem a road win on Nov. 11 as they play Lipscomb again at 7 PM.
