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KENNESAW, Ga. – Kennesaw State volleyball continues to shine on its home court, as the Owls (4-1) posted a second straight 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) sweep in as many days, this time over previously undefeated High Point (4-1) on Friday night from the Convocation Center.

STAT OF THE GAME: The Owls' depth has been a key factor this season, and that was on display once again on Friday. Three KSU players all finished in double-figures for kills, with Emma Schurfranz leading the way with 13, while Jasmine Brown and Dani Ballou both added 10 each. HPU meanwhile had just one player with more than seven kills.

OWL OF THE GAME: McKinley Ferguson had a strong overall outing for KSU, finishing with five kills off just seven attempts, team-highs in assists (33) and aces (three), five digs and four block assists.

SET ONE: KSU and the Panthers were tied at 6-6, when the Owls took control with a 10-1 spurt for a 16-7 edge. HPU came no closer than six points, while Schurfranz recorded the clinching kill for the 25-15 win.

SET TWO: The next two sets were much more competitive. It was a very tight set for the first half of set two, as there were five ties and two lead changes. The final tie came at 9-9, as KSU was in the midst of an eventual 6-0 spurt. Five straight kills from the Owls were capped off by Ballou to give KSU a 13-9 advantage. The Owls led by at least four the rest of the way before winning by a 25-19 margin.

SET THREE: This final set saw 14 ties and eight lead changes, as neither team truly had the advantage until the very end. Matching each other almost point for point for the more then half the set, a pair of aces from Shelby Dennis along with two attack errors from HPU put the Owls up 23-19. Schurfranz notched the match-winning kill for a 25-20 set victory.

QUOTEABLE: "Really proud of our team to play that clean, and with that much competitive greatness this early in the year. High Point is a team that, because they have so many weapons, because they are used to winning, it's a difficult to play against and scheme and scout against. To beat them, your players have to execute. We served it strong, we passed great, McKinley was fantastic tonight, and I think it showed people the level we can play at, and we did that for the entire three sets." – KSU head coach Keith Schunzel

NOTES

-For the match, KSU held a season-high .320 hitting percentage (46K-14E-100TA). While High Point finished with a .202, the Panthers were limited to a .030 (8K-7E-33TA) in the first set.

-KSU finished with a season-high nine aces in the match, with five different Owls recorded at least one. -Dennis paced the team in digs with 14.

-For just the second time in school history, the Owls have recorded three 3-0 sweeps in its first five games. The other time came in the 2015 season, with KSU swept Alabama State, Savannah State, Jacksonville State and Mercer in the first five games. -The Owls avenged a loss to High Point from last season and gave them a 3-2 overall edge in the all-time series between the two schools.

NEXT TIME OUT: The Owls will host the seventh annual Griffin's Game on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 6:30 pm against Samford in the Convocation Center. The game is a fundraiser for a local family dealing with childhood cancer, and Owl fans can visit KSUOwls.com/griffinsgame to purchase tickets ($10 each) and to make donations and buy Griffin's Game t-shirts.

To mark its 40^th anniversary, the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy is publishing an article that ranks the 25 most influential articles published in the academic journal since its creation. Kennesaw State University accounting faculty Dana Hermanson, Rich Clune, and Marcus Caylor are among the authors on the list.

Published since 1982, the journal hosts academic articles evaluating the impact of accounting on public policy decisions and vice versa. The authors of the upcoming article, “The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy at 40: A Bibliometric Analysis,” looked at all 885 articles and reviews featured in the journal and ranked them based on the number of times they were cited in other papers.

Based on this review, Caylor’s 2006 article, “Corporate Governance and Firm Valuation,” was ranked No. 5. Meanwhile, “Enterprise Risk Management: An Empirical Analysis of Factors Associated with the Extent of Implementation,” written by Hermanson, the now-retired Clune, and Mark Beasley of North Carolina State University in 2005, was ranked No. 22.

Michael J. Coles College of Business Dean Robin Cheramie said the recognition from the journal reflects the quality of the College’s faculty.

“This achievement reinforces the incredible faculty we have in our College who are able to produce significant research and make a difference in the discipline,” she said. “I am proud of their achievements and contributions to the accounting profession.”

School of Accountancy Director Steve Smalt praised both Hermanson and Caylor for their continued work expanding accounting knowledge.

“Dana Hermanson and Marcus Caylor continue to be two of the most prolific authors publishing in top quality accounting peer-reviewed journals,” Smalt said.

Hermanson, the Dinos Eminent Scholar Chair of Private Enterprise and Professor of Accounting, said he is honored to have his work cited as among the most influential in the journal’s history.

“We provided one of the very early looks into enterprise risk management, and I think this paper became one of the foundational papers for researchers interested in that topic,” said Hermanson. “It helped to lay the foundation for future research, and I am happy that our early study has been helpful to so many others doing work in this area.”

Caylor, professor of accounting, whose featured article was co-written by then-Georgia State University professor Lawrence Brown, is grateful to the Coles College leadership for providing him with continued support throughout his journey as a researcher.

“My work has been influenced by Coles College in numerous ways,” Caylor said. “The excellent colleagues I have had a chance to work with both within my department as well as across departments, the emphasis of Coles College research on informing the profession, and the support I have received from the director of the School of Accountancy and the dean have been invaluable.”

– Daijah Sims

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.

KENNESAW, Ga. – The Kennesaw State women's soccer team battled to a 2-2 tie against Georgia State on Sunday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Erin Miller scored her third career goal, Macie Rainwater scored for a second straight game and Kaylee Hammer set a career-high with seven saves to lead the Owls.

"I was really pleased with how we played," said head coach Benji Walton. "Thursday, we got behind in a bad way early and chased the game. We fought back but it just wasn't our night. Tonight, I thought we did a much better job finding each other and keeping the ball better, building attacks rather than just hitting the ball and hoping something will happen. There was a lot of progress against a really good team that is unbeaten. We had a chance to win but we had a miscue on defense that cost us the win. But I'm just really proud of the result and the growth of a young group."

Georgia State opened the scoring with a Maddie Johnston goal 14 minutes into the contest.

The Owls' offensive attack resulted in several opportunities over the remainder of the half. KSU had four straight corner kicks near the 32-minute mark as Rainwater and Agata Giani had excellent looks near the goal but could not find the back of the net.

On the next corner kick, Mai Jensen placed a great pass just outside the box and Miller capitalized with an equalizer two minutes before halftime.

In the second half, Georgia State pushed the pace offensively, resulting in several chances but the KSU back line and Hammer held strong to keep the match tied at 1-1.

"The back line did a great job tonight," added Walton. "They are growing a ton, coming together and starting to figure some things out. Juliette Barbush and Naomi Moleka both had their first career starts in the back line and both played great games and did a great job."

In the 69^th minute, Tianna Rivera hit a cross from the left corner of the field that bounced off the right post and Rainwater was there to clean it up for the go-ahead goal to put KSU up 2-1.

The Panthers tied the match at 2-2 on an Elena Diaz penalty kick with nine minutes left. Neither team could capitalize over the final minutes and the game resulted in a draw.

Next Match The Owls travel to Clinton, S.C. to face the Presbyterian Blue Hose on Thursday at 7 p.m.

To keep up with the latest on the Kennesaw State women's soccer team, follow the team on Twitter @KSUOwlNation and @KSUOwlsSoccer or by liking Kennesaw State University on Facebook.

Thursday, September 1 7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-1, 0-0 ASUN) vs Furman (1-2, 0-0 SoCon) Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center Video Stream: YouTube Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Friday, September 2 7 p.m. – Kennesaw State (2-1, 0-0 ASUN) vs High Point (3-0, 0-0 Big South) Location: Kennesaw, Ga. | Convocation Center Video Stream: YouTube Live Stats: Statbroadcast

KSU Game Notes

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KENNESAW, Ga. – Following a strong 2-1 start to the season on the road, Kennesaw State volleyball now comes back to the Convocation Center for a three-game homestand. It all starts on Thursday with the Owls' home opener against the Furman Paladins at 7 pm. KSU is then back in action against High Point the next night, again at 7 pm. A year ago, the Owls went to an invite at Furman, and knocked off the host Paladins before falling to High Point the next day.

KSU closes out the homestand with an early week game against Samford on Tuesday, Sept. 6. That will also mark this year's "Griffin's Game", the annual cancer fundraiser for KSU Owl volleyball with donations going to help a local family dealing with childhood cancer.

Kennesaw State brings back an experienced-led team for the 2022 season. However, the Owls will have to find a way to replace two starters, most notably Lauren Chastang who set numerous program records in closing out her stellar KSU career, including setting the school's all-time career kills and service aces mark.

PLAYERS TO WATCH… Helping to offset the loss of Chastang is the return of outside hitter Emma Schurfranz. The senior is coming off a 2021 season in which she paced the Owls and ranked in the top ten in the ASUN in kills (fourth) with 3.43 per set, and currently ranks ninth in KSU history with 754. She is one of five returning starters for the Owls, as she is joined by Claire Parsons, McKinley Ferguson, Jasmine Brown and Dani Ballou. One freshman to watch out for is Manu Johnsen, who paces the team in kills per set with 2.27, having recorded 18 in just two matches this season.

SCOUTING THE PALADINS... Furman started the year with a 1-2 mark at the Pirate Invitational in Greenville, N.C., claiming a win over Norfolk State on the opening day, before falling to East Carolina and Towson. The Paladins were led on the first weekend by Ava Augustson and Lauren Haynes, with 31 kills each over the three matches.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS... High Point is 3-0 on the season, with a 3-0 sweep over VCU and 3-1 wins against Elon and ASUN member Liberty. Sydney Palazzolo posted 55 kills to pace the team and is second this year with 37 digs for HPU, while Dylan Maberry has added 34 in the first three matches.

Kennesaw State University assistant professor of biology Sarah Guindre-Parker has earned federal funding to expand her wide-ranging study of starlings to examine how the birds reflect the pollution found in their habitats.

Guindre-Parker has earned a three-year $369,303 grant from the National Science Foundation to study heavy metal concentrations in starlings, a common bird found throughout metro Atlanta.

“I'm hoping to better understand how urbanization contributes to some of the heavy metals that are found in our environment,” she said. “In cities, there are more houses with lead paint, and we used to put lead in our gasoline, so theoretically all of that lead should be more concentrated in the city, but it’s unclear how that actually plays out in the environment.”

Preliminary data indicates that starlings nesting at urban sites have slightly higher lead concentrations in their systems compared to starlings using a rural nesting site. According to Guindre-Parker, this information can offer even deeper insights into urbanization.

“Starlings could serve as a sample for the environment in a location instead of us having to drive and sample soil or water in least 20 different areas,” she said. “Maybe a starling could aggregate all that information for us and be used to measure the levels of pollutants that humans face in the same zip code, which is what we hope to do under this grant.”

In addition to the study, the grant money will allow Guindre-Parker to expand her research team with more graduate and undergraduate researchers. She also plans to add 10 field study sites around the Atlanta area, including some sites in rural areas. With these new sites, Guindre-Parker and her team will involve local high school science students and teachers in soil sampling and other aspects of the research.

“We’re hoping to visit nearby schools and teach them a little bit about the work we do and teach them about heavy metals — where they're found, what caused them to accumulate in the environment and what their effects are on birds and humans alike,” she said. “We're hoping to also sample their schoolyards and make sure that their soils are safe for them. So, I think that's another exciting part of the grant that will tie in nicely to the research and the student training.”

Guindre-Parker said Kennesaw State’s location on a border between urban and rural areas makes it ideal for this research, and for her research into starlings overall. She noted that KSU draws students from both urban and rural settings interested in in this research, and several professors and researchers in the College of Science and Mathematics study the effects of urbanization on the environment.

“KSU is well-situated to tackle this type of question and to be a front-runner on the topic of urbanization research,” she said. “And it’s cool because it also spans our student population, so it can draw more people into the type of research that we’re doing. Everyone can find something interesting or relevant to their lives in that type of research.”

The grant began Aug. 1 and funding runs through July 31, 2025.

– Dave ShellesPhotos by Jason Getz

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees to its nearly 43,000 students. With 11 colleges on two metro Atlanta campuses, Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 6 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.