Women's Volleyball 09.11.2021

Akron's Sharrits Breaks Career Program Digs Record

Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments

Akron 3, Penn 1 | Boxscore
Akron 3, DePaul 2 | Boxscore
CHICAGO, Ill.- The Akron Zips volleyball went 2-0 at the opening day of the DePaul Invitational defeating Penn, 3-1 and followed with a 3-2 triumph over Depaul behind a record-breaking performance from senior libero Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio).

Sharrits broke the 29-year old record on Friday evening, as her 11th dig of the match sent her past Karen Godzinski who held the program record at 2,007. Sharrits finished the match with 23 total digs, giving her 2,020 for her career.

In the first match, Akron served undefeated Penn by scores of 19-25, 26-24, 26-21, and 25-21 as senior LS Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio) and senior RS Teagan Ochaya (Mentor, Ohio) powered the Zips' offense with 13 kills each. Freshman MB Karleighana Jones (While Plains, N.Y.) registered nine kills and posted a team-best .533 hitting percentage.

The defense above the net had a strong showing as Akron tallied 11 total blocks led by Jones with six blocks with one solo and five block assists.

Akron claimed the nightcap in a five-set thriller by scores of 15-25, 25-18, 25-19, 20-25, and 15-11. Ochaya led with a match-high 20 kills, while senior MB Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.) registered 10 kills with a .429 hitting percentage. Senior S Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) tossed 40 of the Zips' 42 assists, while Sharrits anchored the Zips' defense with 23 digs.

Akron is scheduled to be back in action at the DePaul Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 3 p.m. against Oakland at the McGrath-Phillips Arena. Fans can follow the action via live stats on GoZips.com.

Iowa State 3, Ball State 1 | Boxscore
Ball State 3, Iowa 2 | Boxscore
CORALVILLE, Iowa - - While the morning session did not go exactly as planned, the Ball State women's volleyball team rallied to end the opening day of the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament with a 3-2 (29-27, 25-15, 23-25, 25-18, 15-12) victory over host Iowa Friday evening.

The Cardinals (8-1) rebounded from a 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-19, 25-13) loss to Iowa State earlier in the day by battling back late in the fifth set versus the Hawkeyes (0-6).

"We showed great fight and toughness to finish tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We had to learn some lessons about not letting our foot off the gas, and I thought our intensity and focus really dialed in for the fifth set and that made the difference."

Iowa led by 9-8 late in the fifth set before back-to-back errors gave the Cardinals the lead. Kills by graduate transfer outside Jaclyn Bulmahn and junior opposite Natalie Mitchem extended the Ball State's lead to 12-10.

Three plays later it was a service ace from senior defensive specialist Cathryn Starck which gave BSU match point at 14-11. That was preceded by a kill from sophomore middle Lauren Gilliland. After one last Hawkeyes point, Mitchem ended the match with her team-leading 15th kill of the night.

"Mitch was on fire tonight," Phillips said about the team's top attacker. "She was hitting big-time angles and finding holes all over. She played with a ton of intensity and that game winner was a championship swing."

The final few points echoed the entirety of the match, which saw a complete team effort guide the Cardinals to victory. Ball State had five players finish the contest with at least nine kills, while three posted double-figure digs.

In addition to Mitchem's strong night, graduate transfer Emily Hollowell had a big night with a career-high 11 kills and three total blocks. Bulmahn and Gilliland added 10 kills apiece, while junior middle Marie Plitt scored nine kills and tied for match-high honors with five total blocks.

"Our balanced offense was again a strength of ours," Phillips added. "Megan did a great job of finding the right hitters at the right moment, and our hitters came through when we needed it!"

All that offensive firepower was set up by freshman setter Megan Wielonski who earned her fifth consecutive double-double with 48 assists and 12 digs. She also tallied four total blocks and serve up two aces while guiding Ball State to a .265 (58-14-166) attack percentage on the night.

In the backcourt, sophomore libero Kate Vinson led the Cardinals with 17 digs, her 10 consecutive match in double figures dating back to last season. Another big factor in the backcourt was junior transfer Havyn Gates who recorded 12 digs and served up a pair of aces.

Overall, the Ball State defense limited Iowa to a .188 (66-34-170) attack percentage, while holding a 10.0 to 7.0 edge in total blocks. The Hawkeyes held a 78 to 65 advantage in digs, while serving up seven aces to BSU's six.

The Hawkeyes Courtney Buzzerio led all players with 22 kills, while Addie VanderWeide registered a match-best 23 digs.

"I am really proud of how our team bounced back tonight," Miller concluded. "That shows me that we have confidence in ourselves as well as toughness."

The Ball State women's volleyball team closes play in the Cy-Hawk Series Tournament Saturday at Noon ET (11 a.m. CT) versus Syracuse.

MATCH 1 RECAP: Iowa State 3 - Ball State 1
Friday's opener was an offensive slugfest, with both offenses firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately, it was the Cyclones (5-1) who came out on top, holding a .301 (66-22-146) to .240 (46-15-129) attacking advantage.

That allowed the hosts for the neutral site event to earn a 3-1 (26-24, 18-25, 25-19, 25-13) victory and hand the Cardinals their first loss of the young season.

Despite the setback, there were several bright spots for Ball State, which connected for a .500 (16-1-30) rate of success in its second-set victory. Among them were the continued solid play of Wielonski, who earned her fourth consecutive double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs.

Leading the Ball State attack was Bulmahn with 12 kills and a .226 (12-5-31) attacking mark, while Gilliland hit a team-best .438 (7-0-16).

In the backcourt, Vinson collected double-digit digs for the eighth time this season, and ninth straight match, with a team-high 14. Gates also served up a team-high three aces.

The Cyclones Eleanore Holthaus led all players with 19 kills, while Marija Popovic was credited with a match-best 12 digs.

No. 12 BYU 3, Bowling Green 0 | Boxscore
Pittsburgh, Pa. – The Bowling Green Falcons volleyball team (3-4) lost in three sets to No. 12 BYU (7-0) in their opening match of the Panther Challenge. The Falcons increased their point total in each set but could not overcome a strong offensive attack from the nationally-ranked Cougars.

How It Happened
Set 1: BGSU 13, BYU 25
The teams traded points early, with the Falcons tying the match at 5-5 after a BYU attack error. From there, the Cougars went a 7-2 run and forced a BGSU timeout. The Falcons responded with consecutive kills from Kat Mandly, but the Cougars closed on a 12-3 run to clinch the opening set.

Set 2: BGSU 16, BYU 25
Much like the first set, the second set began with each team landing kills and remaining close. Trailing by three, the Falcons would take advantage of two BYU errors and a Katelyn Meyer kill to tie the match at 10-10. The Cougars answered with a 5-2 run, inducing the media timeout. From there, BYU went on a 10-4 run, including a 5-0 run to reach set point. The Falcons temporarily staved off the Cougars with a block from Mia Tyler and Katie Kidwell, followed by a kill from Petra Indrova, but BYU clinched the second set with a kill from Heather Gneiting.

Set 3: BGSU 19, BYU 25
BYU jumped out to a 9-5 lead in the third set, but the Falcons battled back. Kat Mandly registered a kill, Kidwell and Meyer combined on a block, and Jaden Walz landed a kill to bring the Falcons within one. The teams traded service errors, giving BYU a 10-9 advantage. A 7-2 Cougar run ensued, leading to a BGSU timeout. The Orange and Brown came out of the timeout on a 5-2 run, with three of those points coming on kills from Kidwell. BYU answered with a 5-0 run to reach match point, but BGSU rallied and scored the next three points. The Cougars recorded a block to win the set and match.

Buffalo 3, Duquesne 0 | Boxscore
BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo volleyball team put forth a dominating effort in its home opener on Friday night as the Bulls swept Duquesne, 3-0, in the first game of the WNY Invite.

The Bulls took the contest 25-13, 25-18, 25-13 as UB outhit Duquesne, .257 to .030. Buffalo set the tempo early as UB hit .478 in the first set with 12 kills and just one error. The Bulls also record 4.0 blocks in the opening set, four from Olivia DeBortoli, and they had five aces in the opening set, four of those coming from freshman Hannah Jacoby.

Buffalo trailed 9-7 in the first set when the Bulls responded with eight straight points, four of those being aces from Jacoby, including a stretch of three in a row. Leading 18-11, the Bulls had another stretch where they scored five straight, including back-to-back kills from Emma Gielas, which put UB ahead 23-11. A kill from junior Courtney Okwara clinched the set.

In the second set, the two teams were tied at 11-11 when the Bulls went on a 9-3 run as an ace from Kyndal Bacon gave Buffalo the 20-14 lead. A block from DeBortoli and Gielas clinched the second set, 25-18.

An ace from freshman Maria Futey put the Bulls ahead 11-5 in the third set and another ace from sophomore Emilie Davis extended the advantage to 18-8 as UB ran away with the set. The Bulls scored the final three points of the night, capped off on a block from Okwara and freshman setter Mandy Leigh.

Gielas led the Bulls with 10 kills, hitting .364 on the night, while Okwara added nine kills and just one error as she hit .471. DeBortoli had eight kills and sophomore Milla Malik finished with six. Futey chipped in four kills.

Leigh finished with 27 assists, two kills, and two aces. In all, the Bulls finished with 11 aces as seven different Buffalo players recorded aces in the match.

Defensively, Malik led the Bulls with 14 digs, while Futey had 12 and Bacon finished with 10. Jacoby chipped in eight and Leigh had five. Buffalo finished with 9.0 total blocks, led by seven from DeBortoli, including a pair of solos. Gielas added four blocks and Okwara had two.

The Bulls return to action tomorrow with a pair of matches at the WNY Invite. UB hosts West Virginia at 10am and Canisius at 4pm. Both matches are free to the public. Fans must wear a mask when in Alumni Arena.

Wright State 3, Central Michigan 2 | Boxscore
Central Michigan 3, Illinois State 1 | Boxscore
DAYTON, Ohio -- The Central Michigan volleyball split its two matches on Friday on day 1 of the Flyer-Raider Invitational.

The Chippewas (5-3) fell in three sets to co-host Wright State (5-2) and then bounced back with a four-set victory over Illinois State (2-5).

"We didn't bring our best this morning," CMU coach Mike Gawlik said. "One of the things that we talked about after the match (with Wright State) is that we have to rebound, and mature teams can get over losses."

The Chippewas channeled the loss to Wright State into motivation rather than disappointment, which proved strong in the victory against the Redbirds.

"We just played with a real joy this afternoon," Gawlik said. "I just thought we did a really tremendous job of staying in the fight, creating our own energy, and being the aggressor throughout the entire match."

Gawlik specifically noted the contributions of outside hitters Linnea Willer and Sierra Gray, who contributed 16 and 15 kills, respectively, against Illinois State. Willer posted a .433 hitting percentage on 30 attacks.

CMU setters Grace Butler and Kendall Braate finished with 30 and 22 assists, respectively, while libero Aly Gurtiza amassed 22 digs.
Willer had six kills and Butler finished with 18 assists against Wright State.

The Chippewas will complete the invitational on Saturday (7 p.m.) with a match against Dayton.

"We came here to play really good teams, and I think we have," Gawlik said. "More than anything, they (Dayton) bring some really talented players to the roster, and we're going to have to match that with playing our style of game."

Chicago State 3, Eastern Michigan 0 | Boxscore
Eastern Michigan 3, Illinois-Chicago 1 | Boxscore
CHICAGO, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team split a pair of matches tonight, Sept. 10, at the Flames Athletic Center to start the UIC Invitational.

The Eagles fell to Chicago State (19-25, 17-25, 10-25) in three sets in the afternoon match and defeated the University of Illinois Chicago (19-25, 25-17, 25-23, 26-24) in four sets in the night cap.

The split brings Eastern's overall record to 3-4 on the season.

Wichita State 3, Kent State 1 | Boxscore
Kent State 3, Delaware 2 | Boxscore
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kent State volleyball team was undeterred by a 3-1 lost to Wichita State in the opening match of the Kansas Invitational and earned a 3-2 victory over Delaware on Friday evening.

The Golden Flashes (4-5) showed spurts of brilliance on offense and posted a hitting percentage of .300 or higher in four of the nine set. Three players totaled at least 20 kills with junior Savannah Matthews leading the way with 29. Senior Melissa Kolurbasi had 22 kills and senior Danie Tyson added 20 kills while hitting at a .514 clip.

Match 1: Wichita State 3, Kent State 1 (15-25, 20-25, 25-23, 14-25)
The Golden Flashes displayed a potent offense during the third set despite struggles in the other three set of a setback to the unbeaten Shockers.

Wichita State started with an 8-0 lead. After fighting back to get within 9-4, Kent State trailed 20-10. The Flashes scored four in a row but lost the opening set, 25-15.

A four-point run gave Kent State an 8-5 lead in the second set, but the Shockers countered with a 10-3 run to take control and win the set 25-20.

The Flashes made adjustments during the intermission and jumped out to a 10-5 lead in the third set. Wichita State fought back to go ahead 19-17 but followed with three straight attack errors, ending with a block by Morgan Copley and Ainsley Guse to give Kent State a 20-19 lead. Down 22-21, the Flashes scored three straight points again on kills by Copley and Savannah Matthews and a block by Matthews and Danie Tyson. The Shockers were able to side out and extend the set before Matthews delivered another kill for the 25-23 win. Kent State hit .333 for the set with Tyson's six kills leading the way.

Another slow start by the Flashes resulted in an early 5-0 deficit. Kent State totaled just seven kills in the set and lost 25-14.

Savannah Matthews led the attack with 10 kills. Ainsley Guse and Danie Tyson were efficient in the middle with eight kills apiece while combining for a .469 hitting percentage. Morgan Copley and Melissa Kolurbasi both added seven kills. Alex Haffner had a team-high 21 assists and Kiersten Kraus totaled 10 assists in her first appearance for the Flashes.

The defense was led by Bryn Roberts, who tallied 18 digs. Copley, Guse and Tyson totaled three blocks each.

Match 2: Kent State 3, Delaware 2 (25-22, 25-21, 22-25, 18-25, 15-9)
Kent State posted its best hitting percentage (.274) since the second match of the season and tallied a season-high 69 digs to end the day with a victory.

The Flashes' offense was nearly unstoppable in the opening set, totaling 16 kills and a .469 hitting percentage. A service error put Kent State ahead 22-2. Melissa Kolurbasi followed with a kill, and the Flashes had a chance at set point after a block by Ainsley Guse and Alex Haffner. The Blue Hens were able to side out, but Haffner answered with a kill to end the set.

Kent State closed on a 14-4 run to overcome a six-point deficit and take a 2-0 lead into the intermission. A service run by Haffner key a six-point run to start the comeback. Delaware took its final lead, 21-20, before a service run by Kiersten Kraus helped the Flashes take the final five points.

Bryn Roberts' ace evened the third set at 18-18, but the Blue Hens were able to win key points down the stretch for a 25-22 victory.

The offense struggled in the fourth set once again, totaling only five kills and losing 25-18.

The Flashes fell behind 3-1 before closing with 14-6 run. Kolurbasi allowed Kent State to double-up Delaware with a kill that made it 14-7. The Blue Hens got back-to-back kills before recording a service error to bring the match to an anticlimactic

Savannah Matthews led the offense with a season-high 19 kills. Melissa Kolurbasi added 15 kills and Danie Tyson had 12. Alex Haffner totaled 49 assists and had four total blocks to share the team lead.

Bryn Roberts paced the defense with a season-high 29 digs. Gracey Jarecke added 13 digs.

Evansville 3, Miami 1 | Boxscore
OXFORD, Ohio—In the opening match of the Miami/Best Western Invitational, the Miami University volleyball team (2-5) dropped a hard-fought four-set match to Evansville University (7-0) on Friday evening in Millett Hall, 25-16, 15-25, 21-25, 20-25.

The first set was pretty evenly matched throughout most of the stanza. After the Purple Aces pulled within 15-14, Miami hammered out a 10-2 surge that included a pair of sophomore Taylor Nomanson service aces to seize the first set, 25-16. Miami hit an impressive .429 for the set.

The second set was a back-and-forth battle early on. A senior Gaby Harper service ace handed Miami an 11-9 advantage, but the Purple Aces used a 10-1 run to claim a 19-12 lead and did not look back as they took the second set, 25-15.

Evansville opened up a 16-7 lead in the third set. As the RedHawks clawed their way back, a 7-0 run that was capped by a trio of senior Sophie Riemersma kills knotted the set, 20-20. Evansville outscored Miami 5-1 down the stretch to take the third set, 25-21.

A Gaby Harper service ace handed Miami a 17-14 advantage in the fourth set, but the Aces retaliated with a 7-1 run to notch a 21-18 advantage and a lead they would not relinquish, winning the fourth set, 25-20.

Northern Illinois 3, Bethune-Cookman 0 | Boxscore
Northern Illinois 3, Citadel 1 | Boxscore
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Northern Illinois University volleyball team went 2-0 Friday at the Buccaneer Invitational, hosted by Charleston Southern at CSU Field House. The Huskies swept Bethune-Cookman 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-21) in the morning before a 3-1 (25-15, 26-28, 25-20, 25-21) win over The Citadel Friday evening.

"We played two good matches today," said head coach Ray Gooden. "We did a nice job getting a lot of people some match experience in the first match against Bethune-Cookman. The second match against The Citadel was a battle and we needed a match like that. The Citadel did a good job of battling for each point, and for us to battle right back with them and come back the way we did was good for our group."

NIU's (5-2) offense got out of the gates real quick in the morning sweep of Bethune-Cookman. The Huskies hit .433 to take the opening set against the Wildcats 25-10. NIU scored the last 11 points of the set to win it with Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) and Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./New Hampshire) combining for six kills in that run. In the second set, NIU hit .440 in a 25-14 win go up 2-0 in the match. Kaitlyn Bell (De Soto, Kan./De Soto) put down a kill to break a 7-7 tie which sparked a 7-1 run that put the Huskies up 14-8. NIU took its largest lead of the set at 23-13 when another Bell kill capped a four-point Huskies run.

Bethune-Cookman (0-6) took a 9-6 lead to start the third set and lead 14-12 midway through. Behind two kills from Mihacevich and a Grace Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) service ace, NIU went on a 4-0 run to take its first lead of the set at 20-16. The Wildcats got as close as two, but two kills from Jasmine Kemp (DeKalb, Ill./DeKalb) sealed the set 25-21 and the match 3-0.

Mihacevich led all players with 10 kills and hit .350 for the match. Kemp and Jablonski both had seven kills. Balensiefer dished out 35 assists while Miranda Karlen (Evansville, Wis./Evansville) led the match with 12 digs. NIU hit .371 for the match, it's highest hitting percentage in a three-match win since 2016 against Ball State. The Huskies also held the Wildcats to a .052 hitting mark.

NIU picked up where it left off against Bethune-Cookman to start the nightcap against The Citadel. The Huskies hit .312 in the opening set and held the Bulldogs to .051 in a 25-15 win. NIU used a 6-1 run, capped by a Nikolette Nedic (Willowbrook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) kill, to go up 13-7. The Huskies used a 7-1 run to finish off the first set, getting two Kemp kills and a Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) ace to go up 1-0 in the match.

The Citadel (1-1) broke an 8-8 tie in the second set with a 9-4 run to take a 17-12 lead. Down 21-16, the Huskies won six of the next seven points to tie the set at 22. NIU fought off three set points late, but The Citadel took the set 28-26 to tie the match at one set all. In the third set, NIU rallied from an early 11-6 deficit by scoring nine unanswered points to take a 15-11 lead. Mihacevich punctuated the run with a pair of kills as Balensiefer added two aces. The Citadel got within two at 20-18 but the Huskies were able to take the set 25-20 on Kemp's 17th kill of the match and take a 2-1 lead.

The Bulldogs took the early momentum in the fourth, winning the first six points. The Citadel extended its lead to eight at 14-6 before an NIU timeout. The Huskies came out from the break and won 11 of the next 13 points to take a 17-16 lead. Jablonski had three kills in that stretch to get NIU back in the set. NIU grew the lead to four at 22-18 on a Jablonski ace and earned match point at 24-19 on a Balensiefer kill. NIU took the set 25-21 on a Kemp kill to win the match 3-1.

"We've talked a lot about having positive streaks this weekend," Gooden said. "We did a good job of playing in the moment and not getting down, and continuing to fight throughout the entire play, the entire set, and the entire match. Our tenacity on defense has improved and it showed in both matches today."

Kemp led NIU with a career-high 18 kills against The Citadel, hitting .469 with three blocks. Jablonski had a double-double with 14 kills and 12 digs. Balensiefer also had a double-double with 47 assists and 11 digs. Five Huskies had double-figure digs in the second match, led by freshman libero Francesca Bertucci's (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) season-high 28. NIU hit .244 in the match to The Citadel's .179.

NIU closes out the Buccaneer Invitational on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. against the hosts Charleston Southern.

Fresno State 3, Ohio 1 | Boxscore
MANHATTAN, Kan. -- The Ohio volleyball team was defeated by Fresno State, 3-1 (25-18, 20-25, 16-25, 21-25), on Friday (Sept. 10), wrapping up the K-State Invitational.

In the first, the Bobcats out-hit the Bulldogs .258 to .206 and went on a four-point run to take the set. Ohio dropped the following two sets and despite their efforts, they were unable to close the gap in the fourth to keep them alive.

Junior outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) achieved a double-double, recording 11 digs and a team high of 12 kills. Junior middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) followed Margolies in kills, registering 10 of her own. Sophomore libero/defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) led the match with 13 digs, while sophomore setter Tria McLean (Battle Creek, Neb.) tallied 37 assists.

Up next, Ohio will conclude their non-conference play as they head to Bowling Green, Ky. for the WKU Invitational. The Bobcats are set to face Western Kentucky at 1 P.M. EST on Friday (Sept. 17) to kick off the tournament.

Toledo 3, South Dakota State 2 | Boxscore
TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo women's volleyball team opened its weekend as hosts of the Blue & Gold Tournament with a five-set win over South Dakota State on Friday night. The victory pushes the Rockets' record to 6-1.

For the second time in the last three matches, Toledo overcame a 2-1 deficit to win in five sets. Sophomore Taylor Alt posted her third double-double of the season, collecting a team-high 19 kills as well as 10 digs. Juniors Rhyenne Filisi and Olivia Vance each provided five blocks, while sophomore Rachel Pierce added four blocks. Freshman Elaine Redman added a season-best 40 assists.

The Blue and Gold Tournament continues with four matches on Saturday. Toledo will face Valparaiso at Noon and Youngstown State at 7:00 p.m. The day begins with a battle between South Dakota State and Youngstown State at 10:00 a.m., and the Penguins will also face Valparaiso at 4:30 p.m. All four matches will be live streamed on ESPN3.

Set 1 (South Dakota State, 25-23)
Toledo scored two of the first three points of the night to open the first set, but the Jackrabbits would take control of the first set from that point on. South Dakota State used a 6-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and led by six late, taking a 23-17 advantage. The Rockets didn't go quietly, fighting to within one at 24-23, but SDSU's Crystal Burk provided the clinching point to put her team ahead 1-0 in the match.

Set 2 (Toledo, 25-15)
The most lopsided set of the night, Toledo took an 8-3 lead and didn't look back. The Rockets' lead ballooned to double-digits for the first time at 18-8 thanks to five straight points, and they led by as many as 11. Alt and Filisi both tallied three kills and two blocks in the second set to help the Midnight Blue and Gold win 25-15 and tie the match at 1-1.

Set 3 (South Dakota State, 25-23)
South Dakota State took a 2-1 lead with a win in the third set, though it may have been the closest of the night. Neither team led by more than two until SDSU took a 10-7 lead after scoring four points in a row. Toledo fought to tie the score at 13-13, but didn't grab a share of the lead again until 19-19 thanks to a 5-1 run. That would be the last time the Rockets weren't trailing in the third set, as the Jackrabbits' Chloe Stitt registered back-to-back kills to make it 21-19 to give her team the lead for good. SDSU eventually won 25-23 to put the Rockets on the brink.

Set 4 (Toledo, 25-22)
Toledo led for much of the fourth set, but nearly tripped up near the finish line. Holding a 21-17 lead, UT surrendered the next five points, all of a sudden finding itself trailing 22-21. Alt made it a 22-22 stalemate with her fifth termination of the set, and Pierce tallied a block to emphatically give the Rockets the lead. A kill off the hand of Vance provided the 25th point and force a decisive fifth set. Sophomore Claire Eiden entered the game with the score tied at 22-22 and provided strong play at the service line to help UT stay alive.

Set 5 (Toledo, 15-12)
The Rockets started the fifth set in exciting fashion, taking a 3-0 lead on two service aces from junior Sina Uluave and a kill from Filisi. South Dakota State was able to grab a share of the lead twice, at 4-4 and 5-5, but another kill from Alt gave Toledo a lead that it would not relinquish. Alt's kill started a 5-0 run that ended with her second service ace of the night to make the score 11-6, and sophomore Jada Bouyer came off the bench to provide the match-clinching point to give the Rockets a 15-12 win in the final frame.

Western Michigan 3, Austin Peay 0 | Boxscore
Indiana State 3, Western Michigan 0 | Boxscore
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Western Michigan volleyball team split its first day at the Sycamore Invitational with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-22) victory over Austin Peay and a 3-2 (25-18, 25-21, 23-25, 25-21, 14-16) loss to host Indiana State.

Maggie King caught fire in the first match against the Governors, tallying a match-high 18 kills in the win. Andelyn Sipkins just missed out on a double-double after posting nine kills and 14 digs. Sophomore setter Logan Case also had a match-high 39 assists.

WMU jumped out to an early lead in the first set, maintaining a two-point lead early on until a kill by APSU's Mikayala Powell brought it down to one, 11-10. King then recorded a kill, followed a block by Abi Wilcoxson and Kennedy Hogan and two attack errors on the Governors opened up WMU's lead to 15-10. A kill by Madison Merz pushed the lead to 18-12, but Austin Peay responded with four of the next five points to cut the lead to 19-16. Western Michigan closed out the match on a 6-4 run.

The Broncos cruised in the second set, hitting .382 and holding the Governors to a .097 attack percentage. WU jumped out to a 6-1 lead and never let APSU get within more than four points the rest of the way.

The third set was a tighter affair, with the Broncos only hitting .089. Austin Peay built the early lead this time and after an attack error on Simkins, went ahead 8-5. Western Michigan scored the next nine points to flip the set, taking a 14-8 lead. WMU never trailed after that, but the Governors battled back to tie it up at 22-22 after a 5-1 run. A kill by Simkins was sandwiched by two from King to seal the match.

King had a match-high 25 kills against the Sycamores, while Case had a career-high 64 assists in the five-set thriller. After just missing her double-double in the opening match, Simkins got it in the night cap after 15 kills and a career-high 23 digs. King also had 16 digs to record a double-double, while libero Mairead Boyle had a match-best 24. The Broncos hit .245 in the match but were held to just .083 in the final set.

Western Michigan took a 2-0 lead after winning the first two sets. Indiana State battled back to take the next two in a close 25-23 decision in the third and a 25-21 win in the fourth. The Broncos held the early lead in the final set. After a service error by Taylor Shelton, WMU went on top 7-5. ISU won the next three points to take an 8-7 lead but kills by Case and Merz put the Broncos back on top, 9-8. Mallory Keller tied it up at 9-9 but Western Michigan rattled off the next three points to push ahead 12-9 thanks to a kill and then back-to-back aces by Merz. The lead disappeared after the Sycamores scored the next five points to get match point at 14-12. King's 25th kill of the match brought the Broncos within one and she tied it up with a block, 14-14. A Bronco service error and a block Karinna Gall gave the match to the Sycamores.

Western Michigan is back at it again on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. against IUPUI.

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