Kent State and EMU Sweep Doubleheaders to Open the 2018 Season
Friday's Volleyball Scoreboard
Akron 3, Cal State Fullerton 2
Ball State 3, South Alabama 2
Tulsa 3,
Bowling Green 0
Purdue 3,
Bowling Green 0
Buffalo 3, Niagara 0
Buffalo 3, Seton Hall 1
Central Michigan 3, Maryland Eastern Shore 1
Eastern Michigan 3, Fordham 0
Eastern Michigan 3, Central Connecticut 0
Kent State 3, Grambling State 0
Kent State 3, Nicholls State 0
Miami 3, Saint Louis 0
DePaul 3,
Northern Illinois 2
Texas A&M 3,
Ohio 1
Northern Kentucky 3,
Toledo 2
Austin Peay 3,
Western Michigan 0
UMKC 3,
Western Michigan 1
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments
Akron 3, Cal State Fullerton 2
Boxscore
FULLERTON, Calif. – The University of Akron volleyball team kicked off its 2018 season with a thrilling 3-2 (25-15, 25-17, 17-25, 16-25, 15-13) win over Cal State Fullerton Friday evening in Fullerton, Calif.
Akron is now 1-0 to start its season, while the Titans fell to 0-1.
"I'm excited by our ability to produce a win while riding the ebbs and flow of a road match to grab our first win," said head coach Tom Hanna. "With three freshmen in a 10-player rotation, there's going to be some bumps in the road and this team found a way to navigate the bumps."
Senior Kayla Gwozdz (Temperance, Mich.) led the Zips with 18 kills, while sophomore Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio) and freshman Teagan Ochaya (Mentor, Ohio) had 15 and 12 kills, respectively. Defensively, Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) had a team-best 32 digs, while Gwozdz added 17. Sophomore setters Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) and Taylor Kuruzovich (Port Matilda, Pa) had 35 and 18 set assists, respectively.
"Defensively we dug a ton of balls and showed tremendous improvement in that area," said Hanna. "Taylor Sharrits had 32 digs and we had 84 as a team, both of which are big performances for us."
The Zips got off to an early 4-0 lead to begin the match thanks to kills from Ochaya and consecutive services aces by Weigand. After a timeout, Cal State Fullerton was able to regain composure and come back to tie the set at 7-7. An 11-3 run, which included three kills and a service ace from Gwozdz, set Akron ahead, 18-10. The Titans were unable to come back from the deficit, while the Zips took the first set, 25-15.
Despite Cal State Fullerton earning the first point of the second set, a 10-4 run quickly set the Zips ahead. The Titans were able to come within three points of Akron, but four consecutive points capped off by a kill from freshman Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.) would seal a second set win for the Zips.
The Titans started the third set on a 4-1 run. However, kills from Adleta and Richardson in addition to two Titan errors, evened out the score, 6-6. The Titans were able to come back and the Zips didn't see a lead for the remainder of the set, resulting in a 25-17 third set victory for Cal State Fullerton.
CSF gained a significant lead to begin the fourth set, but a 10-6 run set the Zips within one of the Titans. Seven unanswered points by Cal State Fullerton would help to seal a 25-16 win in the fourth set.
The final set of the match was back and forth. In a set that saw seven ties, the Zips were able to come out on top with a 15-13 win.
As a team, Akron hit .238 compared to Cal State Fullerton at .240.
Ball State 3, South Alabama 2
Boxscore
DAYTON, Ohio - - Led by Ellie Dunn's first career double-double, the Ball State women's volleyball team opened the 2018 season with a 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-11) victory over South Alabama Friday afternoon in the opening match of the Dayton Invitational at the Frericks Center.
Dunn led all players with a match-high 17 kills, while adding a career-high 10 digs to solidify her first career double-double. Freshman right side Reece Kral was second on the Ball State attack with six kills and hit for a team-best .545 (6-0-11) rate of success in her collegiate debut.
The Cardinals also received solid defensive contributions from junior libero Kate Avila and senior defensive specialist Carly Cappello who tied for match-high honors with 13 digs apiece. Cappello's 13 digs were a career high.
Tulsa 3, Bowling Green 0 -- Boxscore
Purdue 3, Bowling Green 0 -- Boxscore
After trailing for the entirety of the opening set, BGSU fell behind 2-0 in the second. But the Falcons rallied with four straight points to take a brief lead. The match was mired by two long delays midway through the second set with Tulsa clinging to a 10-8 lead. The Golden Hurricane scored seven of the next eight points, weathering the storm of the long delays to take the lead for good. The Falcons led by as many as six points, at both 10-4 and 11-5, in the third set. The Falcons still led 18-14 before a four-point swing tied the score. The final BG lead came at 20-19 after a Katie Kidwell kill but Tulsa scored the next five points to win the match.
While there was not a whole lot that went right for the Falcons in the first two sets, BGSU bounced back quickly in the third set. BGSU won the first two points before Purdue answered with a 3-0 run. The Falcons then scored three in a row of their own and led for the majority of the first half of the set. An Isabel Kovacic kill gave the Falcons a 14-11 lead and forced the Boilermakers to call a timeout. Purdue came out of the stoppage and scored six of the next eight points to take a lead and the Falcons never fully recovered.
Buffalo 3, Niagara 0 – Boxscore
Buffalo 3, Seton Hall 1 -- Boxscore
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team opened the 2018 campaign with two wins on Friday as they began play at the Blue and White Classic with a 3-0 win over Niagara and a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall. It is the second straight year that the Bulls opened the season with two wins on the first day of the season.
In today's opening match, the Bulls defeated Niagara easily with a 25-16, 25-15, 27-25 victory as the Bulls outhit the Purple Eagles, .330 to .216. Junior setter Scout McLerran got off to a quick start as she had 16 assists in the opening set against Niagara. The Bulls raced out to an 11-4 lead in the first set, but Niagara pulled within 15-12. UB answered with three straight points as a kill from junior Polina Prokudina gave the Bulls an 18-12 lead. UB went on to score the final four points to take the opening set.
In the second set, a kill from senior Megan Wernette put the Bulls ahead 6-2 early and a service ace from sophomore Lauren Slovoski gave UB the 14-4 advantage. Buffalo continued to put the pressure on, extending its advantage to 18-10 following a kill from junior Kristina Nieves and the Bulls took the set 25-15 after a kill from junior Rachel Sanks.
The third set was the tightest of the three as Niagara led for the majority of the set, including taking a 20-14 advantage, forcing the Bulls to use their second timeout. Out of the timeout, the Bulls rattled of five straight points, including an ace from Prokudina, which pulled UB within 20-19. The Purple Eagles then led 24-21 before UB scored two points to pull within 24-23. Following that play, the Bulls got a match-changing decision from the brand new Challenge Review System. Senior Larra Bickelhaupt's serve was originally called out, which would have given Niagara the set, but a UB challenge overturned the call, tying the set up at 24-24. Niagara took the 25-24 advantage, but the Bulls scored the final three points, to claim the set and the match.
Prokudina and Sanks each finished with 14 kills to lead the way for the Bulls. For Sanks, the 14 kills were a new career high as she had just one error, hitting .406. Slavoski also recorded a career best with seven kills, joining teammate Megan Wernette.
Nieves had five kills on six swings as she hit .833 for the match and McLerran finished with 43 assists and three kills. As a team, UB had seven aces, led by three from Prokudina.
Defensively, Prokudina led UB with 14 digs as Bickelhaupt added 10. Freshman Paige Beck recorded six digs in her first collegiate match.
The Bulls took the court again on Friday evening, avenging last year's 3-2 loss to Seton Hall as Buffalo defeated the Pirates, 3-1. It was the second straight year that the Bulls have taken down a Big East opponent as they defeated Georgetown in 2017.
Buffalo took the match over the Pirates, 25-27, 25-13, 26-24, 25-22 as the Bulls again outhit their opponents, .222 to .136. Both teams had their chances in the opening set as Seton Hall led late 23-20. However, it was then the Bulls who responded as an ace from Bickelhaupt capped of a 4-0 run and gave the Bulls their first set point. Seton Hall was able to fight off two set points, as the Pirates went on to win it, 27-25.
The Bulls were not fazed though as they dominated in the second, recording 17 kills opposed to just six for Seton Hall. The set was tied 5-5 early when the Bulls went on a 12-2 run, putting it out of reach. Back-to-back kills from Prokudina forced the Seton Hall timeout. Buffalo scored the final three points of the set, including a pair of kills from Nieves to close it out.
Buffalo opened the third set on a 10-5 run and opened the lead to 17-12 before Seton Hall clawed back within 20-18. The Bulls went back ahead 24-20, but the Pirates fought off four set points to tie the match up. The Bulls then got kills from Prokudina and sophomore Andrea Mitrovic to clinch the set and take a 2-1 lead.
Seton Hall led early at 4-2, but the Bulls scored six straight points to go ahead 8-4. UB continued to lead 11-9 when it scored seven straight points as a solo block from Prokudina put UB ahead, 18-9. Seton Hall fought off one set point to pull within 24-22, but a kill from Mitrovic ended the set and the match.
Mitrovic had 20 kills and 15 digs, while Prokudina added 17 kills. Nieves added 10 kills and no errors on 17 attacks as she hit .588 to lead the way. McLerran added 47 assists.
Wernette had seven kills, but it was her performance at the net that lifted UB to the win. The senior from Naperville, IL recorded four solo blocks, pacing a 10.0-block performance from the Bulls, which included eight solo blocks as Prokudina added two and Nieves had one, as well as two assists.
Bickelhaupt added 20 digs, while Beck finished with 11 for her first double-figure digging performance.
"I thought Larra did an unbelievable job of keeping us in system the entire night and letting us run our offense," said head coach Blair Brown Lipsitz. "We let up at certain points in the match, and that is something we'll certainly have to work ongoing forward, but all in all I thought the played hard and got some great wins today over very good Niagara and Seton Hall teams."
The Bulls will conclude action tomorrow at 12:30 pm when they host North Dakota State in the final match of the Blue and White Classic. The match will air on ESPN+. The Bison went 1-1 on Friday with a win over Niagara and a four-set loss to Seton Hall.
Central Michigan 3, Maryland Eastern Shore 1
Boxscore
CHICAGO – A balanced attack led the Central Michigan volleyball team to a victory in its season opener.
Four Chippewas reached double digits in kills, as CMU defeated Maryland Eastern Shore, 25-21, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21, in the opener of the UIC Invitational.
Kalina Smith led the Chippewas with 15 kills, while Savannah Thompson had 11, and Lyza Myers and Maddie Whitfield each posted 10. Marissa Grant added.
Eastern Michigan 3, Fordham 0 -- Boxscore
Eastern Michigan 3, Central Connecticut 0 -- Boxscore
QUEENS, N.Y. – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team kicked off the 2018 season with two wins at the St. John's University Kaiser Classic, sweeping both Fordham University and Central Connecticut State University, 3-0, Friday, Aug. 24.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3 FORDHAM 0
Eastern (1-0) kicked off the weekend with a clean sweep of Fordham University (0-1), winning in convincing fashion, 25-21, 25-19, and 25-17. Senior Jordan Smith (Solon, Iowa-Solon) highlighted the start with 15 kills and a career-best .433 attack percentage, while redshirt junior Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-St. Mary Catholic Central) added 12 kills with an eye-popping .529 attack percentage.
The Eagles dominated in every fashion in the opener, hitting .303 as a team compared to the Ram's .120. Eastern also had the advantage in kills (41 to 32), assists (40-30), blocks (10 to 4), and aces (seven to three).
Adding to the impressive season debut was sophomore April Houston (Minneapolis, Minn.-Southwest), who finished with seven kills and seven blocks (2 solo, 5 assist). Redshirt senior Mallory Rajewski (Midland, Mich.-Midland) added 36 assists in the lid lifter, while senior Alyssa LaFace (Allen Park, Mich.-Allen Park) led the team with 10 digs.
EASTERN MICHIGAN 3, CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE 0
The Eagles' dominance continued into the second match of the afternoon, as Eastern Michigan (2-0) easily turned aside Central Connecticut State (0-1), 25-18, 25-12, 25-20.
EMU had three players reach double-digits in kills, as Cassie Haut topped her 12-kill performance in the season opener with a 15-kill showing against CCSU. The redshirt junior hit an outstanding .652 from the floor and added four blocks and two digs. Senior Jordan Smith added 11 kills and four digs, while sophomore Franki Strefling (Niles, Mich.-Buchanan) notched her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 16 digs.
Joining Strefling in the double-double club was redshirt senior Mallory Rajewski, who had 40 assists and 15 digs, plus five kills and two blocks. Fellow senior Alyssa LaFace led the Eagles in digs for a second time, putting up 24 in the three set affair.
The Green and White once again owned every team category, hitting .276 compared to Central Connecticut State's .096. They also had more kills (49 to 24), digs (75 to 49), and blocks (six to four) than the Blue Devils.
Eastern Michigan returns to the court Saturday, Aug. 25, for day two of the St. John's University Kaiser Classic. The Eagles will take on Manhattan College at 1 p.m. to start the day, and wrap the tournament with a match against host St. John's.
Kent State 3, Grambling State 0 -- Boxscore
Kent State 3, Nicholls State 0 – Boxscore
DENTON, Texas – Kent State opened the season with a pair of 3-0 victories for the first time since 2007 by taking down Grambling State (25-18, 25-13, 25-19) and Nicholls (25-16, 25-19, 25-18) at the North Texas Invitational on Friday.
Despite several new faces in the lineup and a few veterans playing different positions, the Golden Flashes posted a .331 team hitting percentage. Six players averaged at least 1.00 kill per set with freshman Kathryn Ellison tallying a team-high 23 kills (3.83 per set) with an impressive .347 hitting percentage.
"We are definitely happy with today's results," said head coach Don Gromala. "We had to throw together a different lineup just a couple of days ago, and the team really handled that challenge well. I thought we did a great job of focusing on what we needed to do to beat our opponents and played complete games of volleyball."
The Flashes utilized a 6-2 system with senior Sam Jones starting in her first collegiate setting appearance. Jones tallied 29 assists and recorded three aces. Sophomore Natalie Tagala had 17 assists.
"Sam has been a great leader for this young group, and we are really happy that she performed well in a new role," Gromala said. "She stepped in at the libero position during our exhibition match and really played great. Sam had been waiting for a chance to play libero the past three years but approached today with the attitude that she is going to do whatever is best for the team, which is pretty neat."
Kent State held a decisive 16-5 blocking advantage on the day. Junior Myla King had a team-high seven blocks and freshman Danie Tyson recorded four stuffs. King was third on the team with nine kills and a .500 hitting percentage. Tyson hit .750 with six kills.
"Probably the biggest part of our success today was the play of our middles, both offensively and defensively," Gromala stated. "I thought they made some good choices attacking and did a great job of making plays as the center of our defense."
Freshman Erin Gardner led the Flashes with 11 digs and seven aces.
Kent State concludes opening weekend against host North Texas on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET. The Mean Green earned 3-0 victories against Nicholls, 3-0 and Northeastern in Friday's action.
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
Miami 3, Saint Louis 0
Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team used a dominating first set performance to set the tone in a 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-20) season-opening victory over Saint Louis to begin play at the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational on Friday. A crowd of 1,146, the second-largest in team history, was on hand.
A balanced offensive attack helped lead the RedHawks to the win. Junior middle hitter Margaret Payne and sophomore outside hitter Sarah Wojick led the way with nine kills apiece. In her first career match, freshman outside hitter Gaby Harper contributed seven kills, while senior middle hitter Courtney Simons finished with six.
Kills by Wojick and Payne along with a service ace from senior outside hitter Stela Kukoc set the pace to begin set one as Miami took a 3-0 lead. Harper and Simons each had kills before the Billikens were able to pull the score within four at 5-9. A kill from junior right side hitter Haley Stewart started an 11-2 run that put the RedHawks in control at 20-7. Wojick had two kills and a block during that stretch, while junior libero Lindsay Dauch and Kukoc each recorded service aces. Kills from Harper and Payne off assists from sophomore setter Morgan Seaman kept the momentum going, while a kill from Stewart off an assist from freshman setter Louise Comerford finished off the 25-10 victory.
Wojick had three kills as the RedHawks again jumped to a big lead to begin set two. A service ace by Seaman put Miami on top, 12-6. Two kills from Payne and a service ace by Comerford helped the Red and White get their biggest lead at 18-9. Saint Louis fought back, going on a 10-2 run to pull within one at 20-19. A kill from Wojick and a Billiken attack error got MU going again. The teams traded points until it was 23-22 in favor of the 'Hawks. A Saint Louis attack error and a kill from Payne gave Miami a 25-22 win.
Two blocks from Payne and a service ace by Wojick helped Miami jump to a 7-2 lead in set three. Simons had a pair of kills as the RedHawks extended the advantage to 13-7. Payne had two kills, while Harper put down one to keep Saint Louis at bay. The Billikens were able to pull within three late at 19-22, but a kill from Harper and a service ace by Wojick gave Miami match point. After a Saint Louis point, the first career kill from freshman middle hitter Corinne Jemison gave the RedHawks a 25-20 victory and a 3-0 win in the match.
Miami had a strong .256 attack percentage for the match. Its defense held the Billikens to a .077 attack percentage. Dauch led the RedHawks with 14 digs, while Seaman had 21 assists.
Miami completes play its home tournament tomorrow with a pair of matches. The 'Hawks face UC Santa Barbara at 10 a.m. and take on Cincinnati at 7:30 p.m. Both matches will be available on ESPN+.
DePaul 3, Northern Illinois 2
Boxscore
Story coming soon…
Texas A&M 3, Ohio 1
Boxscore
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Ohio volleyball team (0-1) got off to a fast start but could not sustain the momentum, falling to Texas A&M, 3-1 (24-26, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16), today in the 2018 regular season opener for both teams in the opening match of the Sports Imports Classic at St. John's Arena.
"I don't think we were mentally focused enough today," said fifth-year head coach Deane Webb. "It just seemed there were stretches by both teams that we just really weren't focused at the level that we should be. Both teams had a number of unforced errors. It seemed like they came in runs."
The Bobcats hit .485 with 18 kills and just two errors in the first set but followed it up with set hitting percentages of -.086 (five kills, eight errors), -.033 (seven kills, eight errors) and .147 (13 kills, eight errors).
"The first set, 18 kills and only two errors is tremendous," said Webb. "I'm not going to expect our team to hit .485 very often. That was a tremendous first set. I also wouldn't expect us to drop off that much. We have to be a little more focused on what we're doing. Knowing when the moments are there to aggressively go after a ball and knowing when the moments are that we have to put a ball in play. It's a fine line. You have to be aggressive enough to go score your own points, and you have to go get your kills without being reckless. I just think the moments we should have chosen to be aggressive, we put a lot of those balls into play today. The moments where the ball should have been taken care of, some of those balls we were hitting out of bounds. I just think our decision making has to be at a much higher level."
Ohio broke a 10-all tie in the first set by going on a 7-3 run that was highlighted by back-to-back-to-back kills by junior middle blocker Sara Januszewski (Oak Creek, Wis.), redshirt senior right side hitter Katie Nelson (Regina, Saskatchewan) and junior outside hitter Lizzie Stephens (Dallas, Texas). Texas A&M made it a one-point set following kills by sophomore setter Camille Conner and junior outside hitter Hollann Hans and a solo block by Conner. Kills by sophomore middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.), sophomore setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) and redshirt senior outside hitter Jaime Kosiorek (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) put Ohio back up by three at 20-17, but the Aggies took a one-point lead after kills by Hans and freshman middle blocker London Austin-Roark and a service ace by Conner helped Texas A&M score four-straight points. A kill by Nelson and a double block by Nelson and Januszewski put the Bobcats back up by one, but the Aggies snatched the lead back after an Ohio service error and a kill by junior outside hitter Brookah Palmer. Januszewski tied things up again with a kill, but Texas A&M had set point after a kill by Austin-Roark. The Bobcats did not quit, though, and won the set by scoring the final three points -- including a kill by Stephens and another by Kosiorek that put Ohio up 1-0 in the match.
The Bobcats built up a 15-12 lead in the second set, with a pair of doubles blocks by Nelson and Januszewski and a double block by Kosiorek and Januszewski serving as the highlights. The Aggies held Ohio to just three more points the rest of the way, however, putting together a 13-3 run to even the match.
Texas A&M earned a wire-to-wire win in the third set to take a 2-1 match lead. A kill by sophomore Makena Patterson gave the Aggies a 6-2 advantage, and Texas A&M never led by less than four the rest of the way.
The Aggies picked up where they left off in the fourth, scoring the first eight points in a stretch that saw Ohio commit four-straight attack errors. Texas A&M's lead swelled to as much as 11 three times late in the set. A kill by Stephens and back-to-back double blocks by Januszewski and Nelson and Stephens and Januszewski cut the Aggies' lead to single digits, but Texas A&M closed out the match when the Bobcats committed their 26th attack error of the evening.
Jimerson led Ohio with 14 kills and hit .300 for the match. Januszewski hit a team-best .357 with seven kills and also led the match with six assisted blocks, marking the ninth time in her Ohio career she also recorded five or more total blocks. Nelson also recorded seven kills to go along with five assisted blocks. Giacomazzi distributed a team-high 35 assists. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.) led the team with 12 digs while Stephens added 11.
Three Aggies put together big matches to lead Texas A&M to victory. Hans led the way with a match-high 20 kills off of a .326 hitting percentage. Palmer hit a match-best .414 and achieved a double-double with 16 kills and 14 digs. Austin-Roark also recorded double-digit kills with 11 and hit at a .308 clip. Conner led the match with 47 assists and two service aces and tied Patterson for the team lead with three total blocks (one solo, two assisted). Senior libero/defensive specialist Amy Houser compiled a match-high 15 digs.
Ohio will look to bounce back on Saturday (Aug. 25) when it takes on Sports Imports Classic host Ohio State at 12:30 p.m. EST followed by a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Albany. Jake Hromada, 'The Voice of Ohio Volleyball', and Gabe Genovesi will have the call of the action on OhioBobcats.com via Stretch Internet's GameCentral. The Bobcats showdown with the Buckeyes will also be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus ($).
Northern Kentucky 3, Toledo 2
Boxscore
South Bend, Ind. — The University of Toledo volleyball team opened its season on Friday with a 3-2 loss to Northern Kentucky in the Golden Dome Invitational.
The Rockets trailed 2-0, but came out to win sets three and four and force a decisive fifth set. UT and NKU were tied seven times in the final frame, but the Norse were able to clinch the match with a 17-15 triumph.
Zoe Birnbrich and Chloee Kleespies led the charge offensively with 16 kills apiece, while Caleigh Barhorst contributed 13. All of Barhorst's 13 terminations came in the final three sets of the match. Freshman Maddie Fogg made her debut as the Rockets' setter and contributed a match-high 47 assists, 11 digs, and five kills. Four UT players tallied double-digit digs: Fogg, Maurissa Leonard (22), Rhyen Neal (13), and Kleespies (11).
Next up for the Rockets are two Saturday matches against tournament host Notre Dame and Weber State.
Set 1
Lynnea Clay tallied the first point for the Rockets of the 2018 season on a monster kill off an assist from Fogg. After playing to a 4-4 tie to begin the match, Toledo fell behind and was not able to recover. A 10-5 deficit quickly ballooned into a 20-10 hole. The set ended with the Norse on top, 25-16.
Set 2
The Rockets played NKU a little closer in set number two and actually held a lead for the opening stages. Then, with the score tied 13-13, UT rattled off five of the next six points to pull ahead, 18-14. After a block off the hands of Kleespies and Emma Swope to increase the Toledo lead to four, Northern Kentucky scored nine unanswered points to take control of the set. The Norse would go on to win, 25-21, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3
Northern Kentucky looked to be on its way to a sweep after taking a 5-1 lead to start the third set. Five straight points for Toledo flipped the script and gave it a 6-5 advantage. UT held two separate four-point leads and appeared to be in the driver's seat, but the Norse came back to tie the score at 22-22, 23-23, 24-24, 25-25, and 26-26. In the end, it took the offensive efforts of Birnbrich and Barhorst to seal the deal and give UT a 28-26 win. Barhorst, Birnbrich, and Kleespies combined for 14 kills in the third set.
Set 4
The Rockets stayed alive with a big 25-23 fourth set victory. UT jumped out to an 11-5 advantage and looked to be well on its way to forcing a fifth set. NKU continued to chip away, though, and pulled within a point, 22-21. Despite the Norse breathing down their necks, the Rockets were able to finish the job and bring about a decisive fifth frame. Haley Sendelbach came through in a big way for the Midnight Blue and Gold in set four, registering four kills, including the 25th point.
Set 5
Set five featured seven ties and a pair of lead changes, the most back-and-forth set of the afternoon. Toledo and Northern Kentucky were locked in a stalemate at 3-3, 5-5, and 9-9 before the Norse began to pull away. Trailing 14-11 and with their backs against the wall, the Rockets rallied for three straight points, with Fogg capping the run with a swift, set-tying kill. The comeback attempt would fall just short, though, and Northern Kentucky closed out the match with a 17-15 fifth set win.
Austin Peay 3, Western Michigan 0 -- Boxscore
UMKC 3, Western Michigan 1 -- Boxscore
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – In a doubleheader on Friday at the UMKC Invitational, Western Michigan volleyball dropped both of its contests falling to Austin Peay in three sets (24-26, 17-25, 20-25) and UMKC in four sets (25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 24-26).
The Broncos conclude the UMKC Invitational on Saturday with a match-up against South Dakota State. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m. inside the Swinney Recreation Center.
Preseason All-MAC West selection Rachel Bontrager led the Broncos on the day with 28 kills, averaging four kills per set. Senior Mary Murphy collected 45 assists in two matches and is now 19 assists away from moving into the top five in program history in career assists.
Defensively, the Broncos totaled 18 blocks with six coming from freshman Sammi Labolle. Labolle ended the day with six blocks, 13 kills and two service aces. Junior Willow Martin ranked second on the team with 14 kills along with five blocks.
Match One vs. Austin Peay
Starting off the UMKC Invitational, the Western Michigan volleyball team fell in three sets to Austin Peay (24-26, 17-25, 20-25) Friday morning. Austin Peay, an NCAA Tournament team a season ago registered a .211 attack percentage compared to WMU's .174. Defensively the Broncos had nine blocks compared to the Governors six.
Bontrager led the Broncos with 12 kills to go along with six digs and one block. Junior Kate Carey and freshman Sammi Labolle each had seven kills while junior Willow Martin added five. Senior Mary Murphy recorded 29 assists and junior Kathleen Reilly notched 18 digs.
Midway through the first set, the Broncos held a 15-12 lead after Bontrager collected her third kill of the set to stop the Austin Peay 2-0 run. Later in the first, the Brown & Gold rattled off four of six points to take a 22-19 lead. Austin Peay stormed back late however scoring seven of the final nine points to take the set. In the first, WMU had three blocks and hit .286.
The Broncos stormed out of the gate in the second set, grabbing an 8-3 lead. The Governors once again came back, embarking on a 5-0 run to tie the match. Austin Peay opened up its lead midway through the match after an 8-0 run gave the Governors a 22-13 advantage. WMU ultimately dropped the second set, 25-17.
In the third, WMU and Austin Peay were knotted up at 12 before a 6-0 run by the Govs. Trailing by five the Broncos looked to be on the comeback trail after scoring four of the next five points including back-to-back blocks by Labolle, Murphy and Martin. WMU cut the deficit to 21-19 before Austin Peay scored four of the next five to win the set, 25-20 and the match.
Match Two vs. UMKC
WMU dropped its second contest of the day at the UMKC Invitational, falling to host school UMKC in four sets (25-23, 14-25, 20-25, 24-26). Against the Roos', Bontrager once again led the Broncos with 16 kills to go along with three digs and one assist. As a team the Broncos registered eight blocks and five service aces.
It was a back and forth affair in the first set as neither team led by more than two as WMU pulled away late for a 25-23 victory. Tied at 19-19, sophomore Kaley Smith delivered with an ace to put the Brown & Gold up one. To end the match, junior Willow Martin connected on her third kill of the set to give WMU a 1-0 advantage.
UMKC trailed just once in the second set to earn the victory and tie the match at one game apiece. The 25-14 set victory for the Roos' was highlighted by a 4-0 run midway through with back-to-back kills to end the set.
The Roos' once again used a large run in the third, embarking on a 6-1 run to gain an 11-8 advantage early. Western Michigan cut the deficit to four after a kill by sophomore Emma Yarber before UMKC scored six of the final eight points to take the third set, 25-20.
WMU and UMKC went back and forth to begin the fourth set en route to a 14-14 tie. The Broncos gained the lead late in the set thanks to a 6-0 run highlighted by junior Kate Carey connecting on a cross court kill to give WMU a 20-14 lead. However, the Roos' rallied back scoring six of the final seven points to grab the fourth set and the match.
