After last week’s Cream and Crimson scrimmage, Indiana volleyball heads to Kennesaw, Georgia, to compete in the Kennesaw State Invitational to start the 2024 season. The Hoosiers will play Kennesaw State University on Friday, followed by a matchup against Wichita State University the next morning.
Kennesaw State went 18-11 last season and made it to the second round of the Atlantic Sun conference tournament. The Owls, a new member of Conference USA, are a young team with six freshmen and five sophomores.
Manu Johnsen, a junior outside hitter, is a player to keep an eye on for the Owls. She was named preseason All-CUSA and has also been a two-time all-conference honoree for the past two seasons. Last season, Johnsen led the ASUN conference with 454 kills, tying a school record and ranked 31st nationally.
Along with Johnsen, sophomore setter Kourtney Brown is a key piece for the Owls’ offense. As a redshirt freshman last year, Brown only appeared in 19 matches, but she made every match count, leading the team with 625 assists and averaging over 10 assists per game. Brown was also named to the ASUN All-Freshman team last season.
Saturday morning, Indiana’s second and final match of the invitational will be against Wichita State.
Last year, Wichita State had a 26-8 record and just missed the NCAA Tournament. However, the team received an invitation to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship, where it won the title.
While Wichita State had four players named to all-conference last season, only two players returned: fifth year-senior setter Izzi Strand and senior middle blocker Morgan Stout.
Strand was named second team All-American Athletic conference and awarded NIVC Most Valuable Player. She started all 34 matches last season and ranked fifth nationally with 1,340 assists.
Stout was also named to the second team All-American Athletic conference after a strong 2023 season, averaging 2.42 kills per set. She also earned a spot on the NIVC all-tournament team.
The Hoosiers are set to take on the Owls 7 p.m., Friday and the following morning against the Shockers at 11 a.m. The match against Kennesaw State can be viewed on ESPN+.
Follow reporter Parker Rodgers (@parrod153) for updates throughout the Indiana volleyball season.
