KSU’s #13 Manu Johnsen cheers after scoring. KSU Convocation Center, September 7th, 2025. Photo Credit: KSU Athletics
Owls volleyball dominated their series with back-to-back wins against South Carolina State this weekend at the VyStar Arena, 3-0, 3-0.
Sweeps in both Saturday and Sunday’s matchups now give the Owls three straight wins and a 4-1 record.
KSU opened the series with a 3-0 win (25-12, 25-19, 25-13), then followed Sunday with another victory in straight sets (25-13, 25-13, 25-12). The Owls’ offensive dominance and strong serving were critical in the matchup.
In Saturday’s game, the Owls’ teamwork contributed to the victory with a .395 hitting percentage as a team. KSU tallied 43 kills in 81 attempts with only 13 errors.
Senior outside hitter Manu Johnsen put up an impressive performance with nine kills, six digs and five aces. Sophomore outside hitter Kiernan Stamey also contributed nine kills followed by junior middle blocker Maggie Byrd who had seven. Sophomore Kaeley Walz and junior Kourtney Brown kept the Bulldogs on their toes with a combined 36 assists.
Sunday’s game was an even better outing from the Owls. The team improved its hitting percentage to .407 with another 43 kills and only 10 errors. Notably, the Owls put up 14 service aces establishing a fast-paced tempo from the first serve.
Sophomore right side/middle blocker Haley Patterson had an excellent game with 10 kills in a fiery performance. Johnsen had a great game again with nine kills in 12 attempts and a .667 hitting percentage. Junior Olivia Burrage added eight kills as well, and sophomore Ashlyn Anderson chipped in with six.
For the series, the Owls outscored SCSU 150-82 across just six sets, outpacing the Bulldogs in every statistical category: 86 kills to 39, 27 aces to 4, and a combined .401 hitting percentage compared to SCSU’s .056.
KSU coach Keith Schunzel said he was happy with how his team played, especially on Sunday.
“It’s easy when you start to get a lead in some sets to let up a little bit, get a little sloppy with the ball,” he said. “I thought we were a little bit cleaner the whole match today. I was really happy with how we played.”
The Owls will be up against Michigan State at home at VyStar Arena on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for their annual Griffin’s Game.
