Kennesaw State defeated Mississippi State in a close game with a final score of 15-9 in the fifth set.
The Kennesaw State women’s volleyball team made a blistering comeback against their Power Five opponent, Mississippi State, with a final score of 3-2 on Saturday night.
The Owls abruptly revived themselves against the bulldogs after losing the two opening sets, with a total of eight service and attack errors made in the first set and 12 in the second set.
Redshirt freshman Olivia Burrage played the ultimate game of her collegiate career, as she scored the final point and ended the last plays with a kill and a block assist to bring KSU the win. Throughout the match, she had 12 kills and a total of six block assists.
In game three, Manu Johnsen, McKinley Ferguson and Maggie Butkovich accumulated nine kills, helping the Owls win set three 25-23. In game four, Claire Parsons led the team with five kills and three assisted blocks.
Lanie Vantrease had an outstanding performance of 14 kills versus Mississippi State after breaking her season record of 16 kills the day before against Wake Forest. Another key player for Griffins Game was McKinley Ferguson who totaled 55 assists and leads the team with 313 assists for the 2023 season.
For this year’s Griffin’s Game, the Owls honored 11-year-old cancer fighter Matthew Hart and his family. Throughout the game, Matthew Hart and Griffin Schunzel spent time playing together and watching the Owls defeat the Bulldogs.
“I am so thankful to have met you guys,” Head Coach Keith Schunzel said. “We are so honored to help raise money and plenty of support.”
Matthew has a high-grade brainstem glioma that is extremely rare. After spending time in hospice, Matthew became the first cancer child in Georgia’s history to graduate from hospice. Matthew has now been taking chemo through his feeding tube for eight years.
During the match, Matthew maintained a smile on his face and was happy to serve the first ball of the game.
The Owls play against Stetson at home on Sep. 29 at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
