After taking down the Alabama Crimson Tide 3-1 on Wednesday, Sept.17, the Kennesaw State volleyball team fell short in the Gamecock Invitational 3-0 to Maryland on Friday and 3-0 to South Carolina on Sunday.
At Alabama, juniors Lauren Chastang and Quin Sutphin recorded 21 kills each. This match marked only the third time in KSU history that two players have recorded 20 or more kills in one game.
“We played free, loose and simply competed our butts off for the vast majority of the night,” head coach Keith Schunzel said. “When we do those things, we’re awfully good.”
After several lead changes between both teams in the first set, the Crimson Tide finished off the first set with three straight points, winning 25-22.
The Owls gained momentum in the second set through Sutphin’s kills and aces, tying the game at one set each.
KSU continued its dominance in the third set with an early lead of 7-3. After four kills from Chastang and an ace from sophomore Bri Becerra, the set was ended with back-to-back kills from Chastang and sophomore Jasmine Brown.
In the last set, the Owls were able to gain another early lead of 7-3. At one point, Alabama had a lead of 22-21, but KSU put the match away to win 25-23.
Over the weekend at the Gamecock Invitational, the results were not in KSU’s favor as they lost both matches.
The Owls showed determination early in the first set against Maryland. KSU was able to get as close as 13-12, but the Terrapins were able to win the set 25-18.
The Owls continued to fade as the match wore on, but Sutphin led the way once again with 11 kills while senior Lexi Broadwater’s 33 assists kept her on pace for another great season.
“I thought our offensive aggression and mentality throughout the match was actually really good,” Schunzel said. “So that was not the issue, the issue was we could not slow them down.”
On Sunday, KSU was shut out again against USC. Despite not winning a set against the Gamecocks, the Owls put up a fight in each of the first two sets.
A lead in the first set eluded the Owls who were down by just one point on several occasions. The Gamecocks finished off the set with a 4-1 run.
In the second set, Chastang and freshman Emma Schurfranz continued to record kills. KSU led 27-26 late in the set but was unable to hang on, falling 31-29.
After strong KSU efforts in the first two sets, the Gamecocks went on to win the third set 25-16.
Chastang led the way with 15 kills, adding seven digs and a season-high four blocks — one shy of her career-high.
“Our pre-conference schedule was as challenging and fun as we had hoped and wanted it to be,” Schunzel said. “It made us compete every single night, making us stronger while exposing some [key] weaknesses.”
The volleyball team will be back in Atlantic Sun Conference play on Tuesday, Sept. 24, at 1 p.m as they take on New Jersey Institute of Technology in Newark, New Jersey.
