Kennesaw State women’s volleyball was dominant in their home opening win on Saturday, sweeping South Carolina State 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-13) in just 71 minutes. They repeated their performance on Sunday with another 3-0 sweep of the Bulldogs.
The Owls’ balanced attack and strong service game controlled the tempo and flow of the match. Manu Johnsen led the charge with nine kills on a .600 hitting percentage, five aces, and six digs. The senior outside hitter recorded 18 kills, 5 service aces, 2 blocks, and 8 digs across six matches. KSU recorded 27 aces to South Carolina State’s 3. Veteran outside hitter Haley Patterson returned to action after missing the 2024 season, scoring a game-high 10 kills on Sunday.
KSU jumped out to a 15-5 lead in the opening set and cruised to a 25-12 finish. South Carolina State put up a fight in the second set. The visitors raced out to a 5-1 and later an 8-3 lead early in the match. KSU chipped away at the lead before taking the set 25-19. In the third set, the Bulldogs closed to within 15-11 before KSU went on an 8-0 run to complete the sweep with a 25-13 win. KSU led in every statistical category throughout the three-set sweep.
Sunday’s match was dramatically different from Saturday’s. “We got a little sloppy in the second set and got off to a rough start, but played a nice back half of the set to pull away,” admitted KSU Head Coach Keith Schunzel.
The Owls simply had the Bulldogs’ number, winning six straight matches over the weekend. None of the sets on the second day were close (25-13, 25-13, 25-12). South Carolina State was unable to cut into KSU’s lead. For every point the Bulldogs managed to score, the Owls responded with two or three.
Kennesaw State goes on the road to Huntsville, AL, where they will face Alabama A&M on Thursday, Sept. 18. South Carolina State will return to Orangeburg, SC, to face neighboring Claflin on Monday, Sept. 15.