Courtesy of MAC Sport Information Departments
Akron 3, Northern Illinois 0
Box Score
AKRON, Ohio – Akron volleyball continues to shine on the court, making quick work of NIU in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-12)
With the win, Akron improves to 13-5 (6-1 MAC), while NIU falls to 6-15 (3-4 MAC).
“Once again we found ways to win close sets and then played with a lot of confidence and composure to bring home the match in convincing fashion. We had great pin attacking tonight and did an unbelievable job executing our serving plan right from the start. We passed the ball at a high level, which is always going to keep us in matches. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can put together tomorrow night” said head coach Tom Hanna.
Leading the way offensively was senior Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.), who had a match-high 14 kills. Also finding success on the offensive side was junior Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio), who finished with 10 kills and no errors, good for a .435 hitting percentage.
Junior setter Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) continues to find success in all three phases, finishing the match with 36 assists, 10 digs and five aces. Junior libero Taylor Sharrits paced the defense with 15 digs.
The first set saw good volleyball by both sides, as each team struggled to go on a run early, due to solid defense by both. Down 12-11 midway through the set, Akron was able to put to put together three consecutive points, which included a kill by Karsner and an ace by junior Taylor Kuruzovich (Port Matilda, Pa.) taking the lead, 14-12.
Later on in the set leading 22-21, the Zips put together another three-point run, capped off with a block by senior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio) and Karsner, propelling Akron to take the first set, 25-22.
Akron came out the gate firing, gaining an early 7-3 lead over the Huskies. They responded well, taking eight of the next 11 points, regaining the lead, 11-10. Both teams struggled to go on a run, as the set later found itself tied at 22.
From there, Akron was able to put a short streak together, taking the last three points, via an error by NIU, an ace by Weigand, and a set-clinching block by junior Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio), and sophomore Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.).
The Zips made a statement in the final set. Determined to get the sweep, the Zips came out the gate firing, gaining an early 8-1 lead over the Huskies. After NIU began to show some fight, Akron put together a five-point run midway through the set, increasing the lead to 10, 18-8.
Akron closed off on a four-point run, taking the final set, 25-12.
The Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena Saturday, Oct. 19, as they host Western Michigan. Action is set to begin at 7 p.m.
Ball State 3, Ohio
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio - - It was another tough Mid-American Conference road test for the Ball State women's volleyball team Friday night, and they passed with flying colors in a 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 26-24) sweep of Ohio at the Convocation Center.
In improving to 11-8 (5-2 MAC), the Cardinals were able to rally late in both the second and third sets to hand the Bobcats (12-8; 4-3 MAC) just their second home loss of the season.
"Tonight was a solid performance from our whole squad," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "I thought we played with confidence and ball controlled well, which allowed us to be very balanced offensively. Amber's service pressure really played a huge role as well, keeping Ohio out of system which was also crucial tonight."
After never trailing in the opening set, Ball State found itself down 19-16 late in the second. However, a string of five straight points shifted the momentum and the Cardinals went on to claim the frame in extra points.
The third set was another battle, with BSU trailing 20-19 late. Ball State answered with five of the next six points, and after the Bobcats battled back to tie the score at 24, won the frame on a kill from freshman middle Marie Plitt and an Ohio attacking error.
"I was really proud of our team's confidence and composure tonight, especially at the end of sets." Phillips said. "It takes a lot of mental toughness when you're playing on the road in a tough environment. However, we have been focusing a lot on finishing sets and matches, and I thought that helped us tonight."
Led by senior setter Amber Seaman, the Cardinals used a very balanced offensive effort to take down the Bobcats, the only league team to defeat MAC East Division leader Akron this season. Seaman, who handed out 40 assists and collected 12 digs for her third double-double of the season, also served up four aces and had 22 of the team's 77 service attempts in the victory.
"Amber was really good tonight," Phillips said. "She ran a balanced offense, served tough and kept our team composed in some really tough moments."
Leading the Ball State attack was the team's freshman Natalie duo, with Natalie Mitchem tying for match-high honors with 12 kills and Natalie Risi right behind with 11.
Plitt was the Cardinals top attack based on percentage, hitting .400 with nine kills on 20 swings and just one error. She also collected five digs and a pair of block assists. Freshman opposite Allison Hamakeradded eight kills in the win.
"Marie turned in a strong match tonight," Phillips added. "She was constantly working on being an option in transition, which allowed our pins to get better one-on-one looks."
In the backcourt, freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber led the Cardinals with 13 digs, while senior libero Kate Avila collected 12 and freshman defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach added 11.
Overall, the Cardinals out-hit the Bobcats .197 (47-20-137) to .165 (42-20-133) and held a 62 to 53 advantage in team digs. Ball State also held a six to two edge in aces.
Buffalo 3, Western Michigan 2
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team snapped a four-match losing skid on Friday night as the Bulls pulled out a 3-2 win over Western Michigan at Alumni Arena. The win improves UB to 6-13 on the year and 2-5 in MAC play.
The Bulls took the contest, 25-19, 25-17, 20-25, 19-25, 15-8 as UB outhit Western Michigan, .270 to .216. It was a huge night for a number of Bulls on both the offensive and defensive ends. Junior Lexi Nordmann hit .467 for the contest as she finished with 14 kills and no errors on 30 swings. Freshman Abby Leigh paced a Buffalo attack by finishing with a career-high 11 blocks.
The Bulls led 11-8 in the opening set when UB scored four straight as a kill from Nordmann put Buffalo ahead 15-8. Western Michigan would come back and pull within 20-18, but the Bulls responded by scoring three in a row as another Nordmann kill put them ahead, 23-18. A kill by senior Polina Prokudina clinched the opening set.
Buffalo raced out to an 8-2 advantage in the second set, forcing Western Michigan into an early timeout. A kill from Prokudina led all players with 20 kills on the evening as she hit .250. In addition to Nordmann's 14, senior Rachel Sankshad 12 and Simkova added 10. Leigh chipped in six kills.
Senior Scout McLerran led the Buffalo offense with 50 assists, while libero Paige Beck finished with six. The Bulls had seven aces as a unit including two each from Sanks and Leigh.
Defensively, the Bulls finished with 11.0 blocks led by the 11 from Leigh, who had 10 block assists. Sanks and Simkova each added four blocks. Beck had a team-high 17 digs, while Simkova added 15. Prokudina and McLerran each had nine and senior Hannah Watson added eight. Freshman Jenna Sonnenberg finished the evening with six digs.
The Bulls remain home tomorrow night when they face Northern Illinois at 6pm at Alumni Arena.?
Central Michigan 3, Bowling Green 0
Box Score
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio.- The Central Michigan volleyball team extended its win streak to 12 games and remained unbeaten in the Mid-American Conference on Friday with a straight-sets victory over Bowling Green at the Falcons' Stroh Center.
The Chippewas improved to 17-2, 7-0 MAC; Bowling Green is 10-9, 4-3. CMU plays at Miami (Ohio) on Sunday (2:30 p.m.) in a MAC match.
How It Happened
The Chippewas won in straight sets, 25-22, 27-25, 26-24, pulling out each after down-to-the-wire, intense battles.
The largest lead of the night came in the first set, when the Chippewas jumped to a 7-1 lead. Neither team led by more than five points for the remainder of the evening.
"It was one of those matches that required a certain amount of focus and you couldn't let your guard down," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "I was really proud of how we handled that and rose to some big moments."
"One of our quotes this week was, 'You don't shine under the bright lights, but the bright lights reveal how you train in the dark,'" Gawlik said. "That's a really cool quote for the way that we play. When you train for these moments, the bright lights can sometimes reveal your preparations. I think when you practice trying to close out those close sets, it shouldn't surprise you that you find more success than if you don't practice those things. We had some really key plays at pivotal times, and big time players step up in big time situations."
Numbers
CMU won despite a .125 hitting percentage, its second lowest of the season.
Leaders
Kalina Smith led the Chippewas in kills with 13, in digs with 18, and finished with a .281 attacking percentage.
Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez added 10 kills for CMU on a .368 attack percentage. Heading into the weekend, Rosario-Martinez was fourth in the MAC in attacking percentage at .340.
Grace Butler led the Chippewas in assists with 18, while Kendall Braate added 15. Savannah Thompson had 17 digs, and Megan Kernhad 16.
Kent State 3, Toledo 2
Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Kent State defended home court and earned a much-needed 3-2 victory (25-22, 14-25, 21-25, 25-16, 15-10) over Toledo inside of the M.A.C. Center Friday evening.
The Golden Flashes (9-10, 2-5 MAC) are now 4-1 in five-set contests this season and have won two of their past three matches overall. After rallying from a nine-point deficit to take the opening set and dropping the next two sets, senior Ashley Makruski and freshman Morgan Copleystepped up with several big swings in the fourth and fifth to lead the comeback effort.
Kent State totaled 61 kills on the night with four in double-figures. Copley led the way with a match-high 16 kills and Makruski posted 14 kills. Freshman Savannah Matthews and sophomore Danie Tyson joined them with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Redshirt sophomore Alex Haffner notched her 10th double-double of the season with 50 assists and 14 digs. Haffner added four kills, two aces and two total blocks.
Sophomore Erin Gardner led the defense with 24 digs. Matthews tallied 16 digs for her sixth double-double of the year and junior Kaeleigh Stang added 14 digs. Senior Myla King totaled six blocks to help the Flashes' defense limit the Rockets to a .140 hitting percentage.
Kent State will be right back in action on Saturday when Ball State visits the M.A.C. Center for a 5 p.m. contest.
Miami 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team went toe-to-toe with a very game Eastern Michigan on Friday, and ultimately came away with a hard-fought 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16) victory. With their third win in a row, the RedHawks improve to 10-8 overall and 5-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The Eagles are 7-12 overall and 2-5 in the MAC.
Miami featured a balanced attack with five different RedHawks reaching double-figures in kills. Junior right side hitter Sarah Wojick led the way with a career-high 14 kills and a .385 attack percentage. Senior middle hitter Margaret Payne put down 13 kills, while junior right side hitter Avarie Powellhad 11.
Four different RedHawks had double-doubles on the night. Sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper finished with 13 kills and 14 digs, while senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault put down 10 kills and recorded 16 digs. Junior setter Morgan Seaman had 28 assists and 13 digs, while sophomore setter Louise Comerford had 26 assists and 10 digs.
Junior libero Abigail Huser made it five different Miami players with double-digit digs, leading the team with 17.
Kills from Daignault and Payne along with several Eastern Michigan attack errors saw the RedHawks quickly jump to a 6-1 lead in set one. Kills from Harper and Powell made it 8-2. The Eagles fought back with a 10-4 run to tie the score at 12. Kills from Daignault, Paye and Wojick helped put Miami back on top to stay. Two kills from Wojick put the Red and White up, 23-20. EMU scored two in a row to pull within one, but a kill from Harper off an assist from Seaman and an Eagle attack error gave the 'Hawks a 25-22 victory.
Eastern Michigan went in front, 5-3, to begin set two. A kill from senior middle hitter Haley Stewart and a service ace by Comerford were part of four straight that gave Miami a 7-5 advantage. The Eagles scored five in a row to take the lead right back. The RedHawks would use a pair of blocks by Payne to eventually tie the score at 16. Eastern Michigan answered with three straight to get a 19-16 lead. Despite a couple of kills from Harper and one from Daignault, the 'Hawks were never able to get closer than two points as EMU took a 25-22 win to even the match.
The Eagles quickly went up 4-1 in set three and held the lead throughout the first part of the frame. Trailing 7-11, Payne and Powell and kills, while Harper recorded two blocks as part of an 8-1 run that changed momentum and gave Miami a 15-12 advantage. Kills from Daignault and Wojick helped maintain the lead until Eastern Michigan was able to retie the score at 18. The teams traded side outs until the score was tied at 22. From there kills from Harper, Powell and Wojick off assists from Comerford finished off a 25-22 RedHawk victory.
Tied at four in set four, two kills each from Harper and Powell were part of a 5-1 run that put Miami on top, 9-5. Wojick recorded two more kills as the RedHawks pushed the advantage to 15-9. The Eagles closed to within three at 13-16 before a kill from Harper and a block by Stewart and Powell started Miami on its final run. Wojick and Payne each had two more kills as Miami closed the set on a 9-3 run to take a 25-16 win and a 3-1 victory in the match.
The RedHawks had a .256 attack percentage and put down nine blocks as a team. Harper had four blocks, including a career-high three solo. Payne also had four blocks (two solo and two assisted).
Miami returns to action on Sunday as it hosts current MAC leader Central Michigan at 2:30 p.m. The match will air live on ESPN+.
