In his fifth season as head coach, Kennesaw State volleyball’s Keith Schunzel had his record-breaking 64th career win this past Saturday when his team defeated Saint Louis. Schunzel is the third head coach since the program was launched 11 years ago and now has the most wins.
Schunzel coached two seasons as an assistant under Craig Skinner at Kentucky, where his team had a 50-17 record and reached the NCAA Sweet 16 both seasons. From there, Schunzel earned his first head coaching job for the Owls in January 2013 and has elevated the program to a higher level. In 2015, he was voted ASUN Coach of the Year after his team made it to the ASUN championship game. In 2016, his team won the ASUN championship title with a 12-2 conference record.
That success continues this season as the Owls swept in-state rival Georgia State on Monday, leaving Kennesaw State with a 5-1 overall record this season.
Schunzel returns senior middle blocker Liesl Engelbrecht and two junior outside hitters, Maddie Jones and Sydni Shelton. Jones leads the team in kills with 66 this season. Senior outside hitter Anaiah Boyer also returns after being named to the ASUN Preseason Team, along with senior setter, Kristi Piedimonte, and senior libero, Katarina Morton.
Kennesaw State’s success is due to the way Schunzel has built his program over five years. Four of his recruits won post-season all-conference honors for the Owls in 2016, including first-team selections Morton, Piedimonte and Boyer, and second-team selection Engelbrecht. In addition, two of his recruits, Katarina Morton and Quin Sutphin, have been Under Armour High School All-Americans, and incoming freshman Lauren Chastang was Alabama’s 2016 High School Gatorade Player of the Year.
Schunzel and team head to Statesboro, Georgia to play Georgia Southern on Friday, September 8, and Savannah State on Saturday morning. Ranking 3rd in an ASUN Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Kennesaw State volleyball is a program on the rise, be sure to keep an eye on them during the season.
Kennesaw State Head Coaches and coaching records:
- Valerie Jones, 2006-2008, 11-59
- Karen Weatherington, 2009-2012, 63-56
- Keith Schunzel, 2013-Current, 65-57
With the two wins yesterday, Coach Schunzel has the most wins by a coach in Kennesaw State volleyball history! pic.twitter.com/wL1hSfKpJb
— Kennesaw State VB (@KSUOwlsVB) September 3, 2017
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