Owls Enter Rebuilding Season With Veteran Leadership and Fresh Energy

Kennesaw State heads into the 2026 volleyball season with a new-look roster, a demanding schedule and a clear sense of what this fall will require. The Owls are in a rebuilding year after losing four seniors, including one of the top players in program history, and much of the team’s top hitting production. Even with that turnover, there is steady belief around a program that still has an experienced coaching staff in place for a fifth straight season under longtime head coach Keith Schunzel.

That continuity could be one of Kennesaw State’s biggest advantages as it works to blend returning leadership with a five-player freshman class expected to bring energy and needed depth. The Owls will lean on senior middle blocker Olivia Burrage, one of the best middle blockers in school history and an All-Conference USA selection, to anchor the front line. Setters Kaeley Walz and Kourtney Brown also return as key pieces, giving Kennesaw State experienced playmakers who can help stabilize the offense and provide leadership on the court during a season of transition.

The regular season features 28 matches, beginning Aug. 28-29 at the Seahawk Classic at UNC-Wilmington. That opening weekend includes early tests against The Citadel, UNC-Wilmington and Le Moyne in Wilmington, North Carolina, setting an immediate tone for a team that will be tested from the start. Another early road date comes Sept. 3 at Georgia State, followed by the home opening stretch Sept. 4-5 in Kennesaw, Georgia, where the Owls face West Georgia and Alabama A&M.

Those opening weeks also bring several matchups that stand out on the schedule. The season opener at the Seahawk Classic offers the first look at how quickly the Owls’ younger players can settle into major roles. Three in-state contests against Georgia State, West Georgia and Georgia should add another layer of intrigue, and the Sept. 4 home opener against West Georgia gives Kennesaw State an early opportunity to establish momentum on its home floor.

From there, the schedule remains busy with the University of South Alabama Invitational on Sept. 11-13 and a Georgia Southern weekend on Sept. 17-19 before Conference USA play begins in late September. The Owls open league competition at home with a two-match series against Sam Houston on Sept. 25-26. Road conference series at FIU, Delaware and Western Kentucky, along with home sets against Missouri State, Liberty and Middle Tennessee, will shape the push toward the CUSA Tournament on Nov. 20-22 in Bowling Green, Ky.

For Kennesaw State, the outlook is straightforward. The Owls will need to grow quickly, find consistency and ask a younger roster to shoulder major responsibility. With proven leadership from Olivia Burrage, Kaeley Walz and Kourtney Brown, the program has a foundation in place as it works to turn a rebuilding season into one defined by progress by the time November arrives.