Courtesy of MAC Sport Information Departments
Akron 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Box Score
Ypsilanti, Mich. – A strong defensive performance propels the Zips back in the win column on Saturday evening, as they took down Eastern Michigan in four sets (25-18, 25-20, 23-25, 25-18)
With the win, Akron improves to 15-6 (8-2 MAC), while Eastern Michigan falls to 8-14 (3-7 MAC).
"It was great to get back on track and play at a higher level more consistently. Elya and Ashley did a great job carrying us offensively and we had a number of people dig a lot of balls to help us on the defensive end. We look forward to getting back on the court against Buffalo on Thursday night at home" said head coach Tom Hanna.
Leading the way offensively were seniors Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.) and Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio), who finished with 19 and 16 kills, respectively. Junior setter Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) dished out 44 assists while adding four kills of her own.
Defensively, junior libero Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) paced the back row with 23 digs. Also contributing was Karsner with 19 digs, as well as juniors Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio) and Weigand, who finished with 18 digs a-piece.
Richardson also had a stellar night at the net, finishing with nine block assists.
Akron found itself up 6-2 early in the first set, thanks to a three-point run which included kills by Weigand and Richardson, as well as an ace by sophomore Taylor Kuruzovich (Port Matilda, Pa.). From there, the Zips scored seven of the next 11 points, forcing EMU to call its first timeout of the set.
Akron was able to maintain its lead for the remainder of the set, clinching it on an attack error by the Eagles, 25-18.
The Zips came out firing in the second set, taking an early 4-1 lead, which included kills by Adleta, Richardson and Karsner. EMU began to make its way back into the set, as Akron's lead was cut to two, 11-9, near the midway point of the set. From there, Akron was able to score five consecutive points, increasing the lead to 16-9.
A late surge by the Eagles proved not enough, as the Zips went on to take the second set, 25-20.
The third set saw a stronger showing by EMU, as there were six ties throughout the set. Akron found itself down 6-5 early, until four consecutive errors by the Eagles propelled the Zips to take a 9-6 lead. EMU would respond by taking five consecutive points of its own, re-taking the lead, 11-9.
Two consecutive attack errors by the Eagles re-tied the match at 11. From there, EMU was able to put together three consecutive points, giving it a lead that would hold for the remainder of the set. A late push by the Zips brought them within one, thanks to an ace by Kuruzovich, however EMU was able to take the final point, winning the set 25-23.
Akron was determined to end the match in four sets. After being down 4-3 early, the Zips were able to take nine of the next 10 points, taking a commanding 13-5 lead. EMU showed little resistance throughout the set, as later in the set Akron was able to take a 21-12 lead, its largest lead of the match.
A block by sophomore Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.) and Adleta clinched the fourth set, 25-18, and ultimately the match.
The Zips will be back in action on Halloween night (Thursday, Oct. 31), as they take on Buffalo at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on ESPN3.
Bowling Green 3, Ball State 2
Box Score
Muncie, Ind. - The Bowling Green State University volleyball program went the distance with Ball State in Muncie, outlasting the Cardinals in a five-set win with a 3-2 final. The Falcons and Cardinals traded sets from the first to the fourth, but in the final set, Bowling Green landed 15 points in the final set to best the Cardinals and advance to 7-3 in the MAC, 13-9 overall, behind a stout defense that tallied near record numbers for blocks.
Set Scores
Set 1 - Ball State 25, Bowling Green 19
Set 2 - Bowling Green 25, Ball State 23
Set 3 - Ball State 25, Bowling Green 19
Set 4 - Bowling Green 25, Ball State 20
Set 5 - Bowling Green 15, Ball State 13
Play-By-Play Notes
The first set ran deep with ties, seeing the Falcons and Cardinals trade points until a run by Ball State created separation.
That little separation would prove to be the difference with it propelling the Cardinals to a 25-19 first set win.
The second set began similar to the first with a close score until a 3-0 run by Ball State granted the Cardinals a lead, 8-4.
The Orange and Brown quickly battled back, bringing the score within one once again with a 3-0 run of their own.
Another run in the set, this time 4-0, by Bowling Green pushed the lead to swing in favor of the Falcons, taking an 18-17 lead.
The run would help push the Falcons to a 25-23 set win, evening the match at a set apiece.
In the third set, the score would stay close for the duration of the set with the Cardinals able to keep just enough of a cushioned lead to ward off any runs by the Falcons.
A late effort would prove to be not enough in the third set with Ball State reclaiming their advantage in the match heading into the fourth set.
To begin the fourth set, the Falcons fell behind but used a 4-0 run to take an early 5-4 lead.
The run would set up momentum for the Falcons, forcing a fifth set by winning the fourth, 25-20.
In the fifth set, the Falcons jumped out to a 9-7 lead, growing to 12-9 before the team was able to close the door on the match with a 15-13 victory.
Strong Individual Performances
Block assists proved to be a pivotal point of the match. As a team, Bowling Green logged two solo blocks and 30 block assists, just six off of the all-time five-set record, for a team total of 17 blocks.
Katie Kidwell set a new season-high for the team with eight block assists, also moving her career total to 308, taking over the ninth spot all-time for career block assists in program history.
Nikolija Katanic chipped in a career-high seven block assists of her own, which would have tied the team season-high had it not been for Kidwell's eight.
With 39 assists, Isabelle Marciniak shattered the 3,500 career assist mark, ending the night with a total of 3,536. With nine digs, Marciniak nearly had her second double-double of the weekend while also adding four block assists.
For digs, Julia Walz paced the Falcons with 30 on the night. Taylor Haberland pitched in 19 with Paulina Iacobelli logging a season-high 13. As a team, BGSU totaled 97 digs over the five sets.
As for kills, Katelyn Meyer led the way with 20, her second 20-kill match of the season, while also maintaining a .250 hitting percentage on 64 attacks. Jacqueline Askin wasn't far behind with 14 and Kidwell was also close with 12, a season-high for her.
Senior Macie Linne also saw her first action of the season, knocking down five kills along with one block assist.
Up Next
BGSU will return to the Stroh Center on Friday, Nov. 1 to take on Kent State followed by Ohio on Nov. 2. Both matches will serve as the second meetings between the Falcons and their foes. In each previous match the Orange and Brown were victorious, beating Ohio in a heated 3-2 comeback win with a Kent State sweep the next day.
The match against Kent State will be Trick or Treat at the Stroh with the Ohio match being a "Buy One Get One" event, paired with football. Additional details will be made available the week of.
Buffalo 3, Central Michigan 2
Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, MI – The University at Buffalo volleyball team overcame a 2-0 deficit on Saturday evening as the Bulls stormed back to defeat Central Michigan 3-2, handing the Chippewas just their second conference loss of the season. The win improves UB to 8-14 and 4-6 in league play.
The Bulls took the match 16-25, 21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 15-12 as UB outhit Central Michigan .182 to .136. Early on it looked as if the Chippewas were on their way to their ninth MAC win, taking the first two sets, but the Bulls came out of the intermission determined to leave McGuirk Arena with the victory.
Tied at 14-14 in the third set, the Bulls went on a 5-0 run as a kill from senior Rachel Sanks put UB ahead 19-14. Buffalo continued to lead by five at 23-18 when the Bulls scored the final two points on back-to-back kills from Polina Prokudina and Monika Simkova to clinch the set.
Once the match went four, the Bulls had to feel confident they would send it to a fifth as UB has yet to play a four-set match this season. Buffalo hit .405 in the fourth set with 18 kills and just three errors.
Three straight kills from Prokudina gave the Bulls the early 8-3 lead. Another kill from the senior extended the advantage to 17-11 before Central Michigan crept back to pull within 19-16. With UB leading 22-17, Prokudina took over again with back-to-back kills and a solo block, clinching the set and sending the match to five.
The fifth set was tight early on before Central Michigan took an 8-6 lead, forcing the Bulls into their first timeout. Out of the break, UB responded with four straight points, including a pair of blocks by junior Lexi Nordmann. A kill from the SMU transfer forced CMU into a timeout with Buffalo leading 10-8.
The Chippewas would come back to tie it up at 12-12, but the Bulls took over from there, scoring the final three. A kill by Sanks and a CMU attack error made it match point and the Bulls finished the night off with their 16th block of the evening, this one a combined effort from Simkova and freshman Abby Leigh to clinch the set and the match.
"I am proud of the fight the team showed tonight and the resiliency to come back from down 0-2," said head coach Scott Smith. "We made it a focus to strengthen our block and transition attacking and it helped earn us a great win over a very good CMU team."
Sanks and Prokudina both finished with 20 kills each on the night to lead the UB offense. Nordmann and Simkova each added seven, while Leigh had four.
Senior Scout McLerran paced the Buffalo offense with 53 assists, while adding three kills and 11 digs. Leigh and Simkova each added a pair of service aces.
Defensively, four player had double figures in digs led by 19 from sophomore Paige Beck. Prokudina added 13 and senior Hannah Watson finished with 10. UB had 16.0 blocks led by eight from Leigh and six from Nordmann. Both players had a pair of solo blocks. Simkova added five blocks.
The Bulls will remain on the road next weekend beginning on Thursday night at Akron.
Kent State 3, Western Michigan 2
Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Freshman Savannah Matthews and senior Ashley Makruski recorded career-highs in kills while the defense tightened up in the final two sets to allow Kent State to take down host Western Michigan, 3-2 (23-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20, 15-9) in a key Mid-American Conference matchup on Saturday.
Matthews' 21 kills, which included four in the decisive fifth set, were the most by a Golden Flash since the 2016 season. Makruski totaled 19 kills for her fifth straight match in double-figures. After allowing the Broncos to hit at a .303 clip over the night's first three sets, Kent State (11-11, 4-6 MAC) limited WMU to just 14 kills and a .054 hitting percentage in sets four and five.
"I'm really proud of how our girls fought back, especially after a tough match last night," said head coach Don Gromala. "This was one of the most exciting matches I've been a part of with how back-and-forth those first couple of sets were. Our defense was off to a slow start but definitely picked up throughout the match. Our pins had a great weekend and it was great to have Savannah and Ashley come through with big performances."
Redshirt sophomore Alex Haffner helped the Flashes hit .291 as a team while totaling 58 assists and seven digs. Freshman Morgan Copley posted 14 kills and a .364 hitting percentage, while sophomore Danie Tyson hit .450 with 10 kills.
After closing the fourth set by taking five of the final six points, Kent State quickly fell behind 3-0 in the fifth. Ezri Edwards got the Flashes on the board with a kill. Savannah Matthews and Morgan Copley did the same on the next two points, and Matthews and Danie Tyson teamed for a stuff and 4-3 lead. Holding to a 9-8 lead, Copley came through with a kill to maintain the lead. Consecutive WMU attack errors followed, and Matthews capped the 4-0 run with a kill. Although Matthews registered an attack error on the next point, Edwards found open space behind the defense off an overpass to setup match point. Matthews redeemed herself on the next play, ripping a shot that the libero was unable to keep in front of her and clinching the victory for her team.
Sophomore Erin Gardner led the defense with 25 digs and also had five service aces. Matthews and Kaleigh Stang added 16 and 14 digs, respectively. Freshman Gracey Jarecke posted a career-high 11 digs. Tyson and junior Ezri Edwards shared the team lead with three blocks each.
Kent State will go back on the road next weekend to complete season series with Bowling Green and Miami.
Miami 3, Toledo 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team had a season-best .354 attack percentage as it cruised to its sixth straight victory, 3-0 (25-14, 25-14, 25-18) over Toledo Saturday evening. The RedHawks improve to 13-8 overall and 8-2 in the Mid-American Conference. The Rockets are 7-15 overall and 0-10 in the MAC.
Miami recorded only eight attack errors over the entire match. Junior right side hitter Avarie Powell led the 'Hawks with 12 kills. She made only one attack error in 16 attempts for a blistering .688 hitting percentage. Junior right side hitter Sarah Wojick had 10 kills and no errors in 18 attempts for a .556 hitting percentage, while senior middle hitter Margaret Payne had 10 kills and two errors in 18 attempts to hit .444 on the night.
A service ace by junior setter Morgan Seaman, along with a kill and a block by Payne, helped Miami jump to a 7-2 lead to begin set one. Powell put down two kills, while sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper had one to increase the advantage to 13-7. Four straight by Toledo would pull it to within two at 11-13. A kill from Powell changed the momentum as the RedHawks closed out the set on an 11-3 run to take a 25-14 victory.
Three kills from Powell and two consecutive service aces by sophomore setter Louise Comerford forced Toledo to take a timeout as Miami took a 9-3 lead in set two. Kills by Wojick, Harper and senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault helped increase the advantage to 15-6. The Rockets got as close as six at 11-17, but a kill from Payne and a service ace by Wojick ensured they would not get any closer. A kill from Powell finished off Miami's second straight 25-14 win.
Wojick had three kills and a service ace as Miami opened up an 8-3 lead in set three. The RedHawks defense forced several Toledo errors as they increased that advantage to 16-8. The Rockets fought back, going on a 9-2 run that cut their deficit to two at 17-19 and forced a Miami timeout. Out of the break, kills from Harper and Payne, along with a block by Powell and senior middle hitter Haley Stewart made sure there would be no comeback as the 'Hawks closed with a 6-1 run to take a 25-18 win and the match in straight sets.
"A fine team effort showing solid passing and defense," said head coach Carolyn Condit. "This empowered our setters to spread the offense with great success. We head home with two important road wins and momentum for the east division opponents ahead."
Harper and Daignault had six kills each for Miami, while Daignault added a team-leading 14 digs. Wojick and Payne tied for the team lead with three blocks each, while Seaman finished with 16 assists. The RedHawks held Toledo to a .152 attack percentage for the match.
Miami returns home next weekend for a pair of matches. On Friday, the RedHawks host Ohio for the Battle of the Bricks at 7 p.m. That contest will be streamed live on MiamiRedHawks.com for those who have a subscription. Miami then welcomes Kent State to Millett Hall on Saturday at 5 p.m. That match will air live on ESPN+.
Northern Illinois 3, Ohio 1
Box Score
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team rallied from a set down Saturday night to defeat the Ohio Bobcats 3-1 (13-25, 28-26, 25-23, 25-17) and sweep its weekend homestand at Victor E. Court.
"We had to understand how important it was for either team to come out and get the win," said head coach Ray Gooden. "We needed to compete against a really good team. I thought we did a nice job in the second set, winning a tough one, and the same in the third."
Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) led all players in the match with 15 kills, hitting .464 with a team-high five blocks. Kennedy Wallace (Kansas City, Kan./Piper) hit a match-high .526 with 11 kills and just one error. Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) added 11 kills as well. Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) had a double-double with 42 assists and 13 digs.
"Jasmine continues to learn how to be at the level she's aspiring to be, to be one of the top players in our league," Gooden said. "It was great for our team to be able to put her in spots so she was able to find success tonight."
"We had good passes and good connections with our setters, and it worked out really well and helped out our offense a lot," added Kemp.
Ohio (13-10, 5-5 MAC) came out firing to start the match, taking a 9-4 lead on a block by Dahlias Bouyer and Vera Giacomazzi. The Bobcats used a 6-1 run, highlighted by a pair of aces from Emma Tupa, to take a 17-9 lead. Ohio hit .419 in the opening set and held NIU to .074 in winning the first set 25-13.
NIU (8-16, 5-5 MAC) jumped out to a 12-8 lead in the second set with a 4-1 run that included a Balensiefer ace and a Bell kill. The Bobcats responded with a 6-1 run capped off by an Olivia Margolies kill to take a 14-13 advantage. NIU quickly came back with four of the next five points, as a Bell kill and a Samantha Juarez (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) ace made the score 17-15 Huskies. After Ohio tied the set at 17, a Bell kill sparked a 4-0 NIU run to put the hosts up 21-17. Ohio used a 6-1 run to get set point at 24-23 following an NIU error. The two teams then traded two-point spurts with Ohio earning another set point at 26-25 on a block by Margolies and Bouyer. Wallace put down a kill to tie the set at 26, then a Peyton Tilly (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) kill and a block by Wallace and Balensiefer gave NIU the set 28-26 and tied the match at one set all.
The two teams traded points to start the second set, with NIU pulling away with a 3-0 run capped by a Kemp solo block to give the Huskies an 8-6 edge. Ohio came back to tie the set at 12 with a Tia Jimerson kill and a block by Giacomazzi and Bouyer. NIU broke a 17-17 tie with a 3-0 run sparked by a Tilly kill to take a 20-17 lead. The Huskies led 23-21 when the Bobcats got two kills from Lauren Park to tie the set at 23. NIU earned set point on an Ohio service error and quickly cashed in as Kemp put down a kill to give NIU a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-23 win in the set.
The Huskies wasted no time taking the lead in the fourth set. Highlighted by four Kemp kills, NIU went on an 8-2 run to go up 13-6. Ohio cut the Huskies' lead to four at 17-13 when a Park kill punctuated a 4-1 Bobcats run. NIU responded by taking the next five points to take a 22-13 lead. The Huskies saved their best offensive set for the last, hitting .394 with just one error while holding Ohio to .086 in winning the set 25-17 and the match 3-1.
NIU hit .231 for the match as Ohio hit .229. Each team had 64 digs in the match with Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) leading the match with 21. Ohio held an 8-6 advantage in blocks with the Huskies holding in the edge in aces 6-5. Margolies and Park each had 13 kills to lead Ohio.
The Huskies go on the road next weekend to take on Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. NIU faces off with Eastern Michigan on Friday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. and Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m.
