CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Queens University of Charlotte women's volleyball team played in their penultimate match of the 2023 season Thursday evening as they took on Kennesaw State in a conference matchup. The Owls defeated the Royals in four sets to improve to 16-10 overall and 9-6 in conference play. The Royals fell to 1-14 in conference play and 4-23 overall.
SET BY SET
The Royals came out hot as they took advantage of several crucial mistakes from the Owls. Queens rallied to take an early 12-6 lead in the first set which led Kennesaw State to take a timeout. Following the Owls' timeout, the Royals continued their dominance as they took the first set 25-14. Anna Grace Sparks dominated the first set offensively with six kills to lead both teams up to that point. The Owls also had eight attack errors and a .049 hit percentage in the set while the Royals had only one attack error and a .333 hit percentage.
The second set was much more competitive at the start, as there were five ties and three lead changes by the media timeout when Kennesaw State took a 15-12 lead into the first break. Set two was a set of runs as Kennesaw State went on a 6-0 run immediately followed by a 3-0 run from Queens to make the score 20-15 before the Owls ultimately took the set 25-19.
The Owls came out firing in the third set as they took an early 8-1 lead which forced yet another Royal timeout. Queens was able to fight back, however, as they scored four unanswered points to cut the deficit to 16-14 and force Kennesaw State to take a timeout of their own. The Owls were able to keep the Royals at arm's length through the rest of the set and took a 2-1 lead in the match as they took the set 25-22.
The fourth set was the most competitive of the match as the Royals and Owls battled to a 15-13 Kennesaw State lead into the media timeout. Kennesaw State then went on a 3-1 run to take an 18-14 lead and force the Royals to take a timeout. The Owls ultimately took the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.
TURNING POINT
After a dominant first set from the Royals and a competitive start to the second set, Kennesaw State held a 14-12 lead in set two before scoring a point to take a 15-12 lead into the media timeout. After the media break, the Owls scored three more unanswered points to force a timeout with an 18-12 deficit. All in all, the Owls finished with six unanswered points during this span and took a 20-12 lead in the set that the Royals were unable to overcome. The Owls controlled the match the rest of the way following this run.
KEY STATS AND NOTES
- Claire Jenkins continued her strong finish throughout her rookie season with a season-high 15 assists.
- Alleigh Johnson recorded double-digit kills for the twelfth time this season and the fourth time during conference play as she recorded 15 kills to lead the Royals.
- Tilley Collins led the way with a solid 23 digs to improve her season total to 209.
- Anna Grace Sparks recorded double-digit kills for the second time in her young career as she recorded 10 kills.
- Jordyn Johnson recorded 19 digs which was her second most on the season.
- Victoria Wood recorded double-digit kills for the sixth time this season and fifth during conference play with 10 kills.
- Kendall Buish recorded a double-double with 27 assists and 15 digs. This was her 14th double-double of the season and seventh of conference play.
- The Royals recorded seven service aces as the Owls recorded none.
- Anna Law led the way with a .444 hit percentage which was her second best of the season.
UP NEXT
The Royals finish the regular season on Saturday with their Senior Day match against Eastern Kentucky at Curry Arena to honor Grace Giunta, Anna Law, Kelise Twyner, and Victoria Wood. Last season, Queens faced Eastern Kentucky twice in Richmond, Ky., and fell each time. The Royals fell to the Colonels in five sets last November to finish off the 2022 regular season.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Be sure to follow the Queens Women's Volleyball team on Twitter and Instagram to get the latest news and updates. Fans are also encouraged to follow Queens Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up with all the Royals in action.
