Friday's MAC Volleyball Results
Iona 3, Akron 2
Ball State 3, Oklahoma 1
Ball State 3, Lipscomb 0
Western Kentucky 3, Bowling Green 1
Buffalo 3, Rider 0
Lehigh 3, Buffalo 1
Central Michigan 3, Youngstown State 0
Central Michigan 3, Saint Thomas 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 3, Eastern Michigan 0
Kent State 3, Southern Indiana 0
Miami 3, Marshall 2
Northern Illinois 3, Campbell 1
Ohio 3, Kansas City 0
Ohio 3, Howard 1
Loyola Chicago 3, Toledo 0
Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Wright State 3, Western Michigan 1

 
Stories courtesy of MAC Sports Information Departments 

Ball State 3, Oklahoma 1 | Boxscore
Ball State 3, Lipscomb 0 | Boxscore
NASHVILLE - - The Ball State women's volleyball team improved to 5-0 on the season with wins over Oklahoma (3-1) and Lipscomb (3-0) on the opening day of the LUV Invitational as Allen Arena.
 
The day started with junior middle Lauren Gilliland blasting a career-high 17 kills to help the Cardinals (5-0) knock off a previously undefeated Sooners (3-1) squad out of the Big 12.
 
Gilliland also hit an impressive .533 (17-1-30) in the 3-1 (25-17, 29-27, 20-25, 25-16) victory, while leading the Ball State defense with four total blocks.
 
In the nightcap, the Cardinals made "short" work of the host Bison (2-3), taking the match 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-18) despite a nearly one hour third set which included a lengthy delay and the score revert from 18-16 to 17-15 due to some Lipscomb rotation issues.
 
The extra play did not slow down the Ball State offense, however, as the Cardinals finished the match with a season-best .344 (42-9-96) attack percentage. Junior outside Cait Snyder led the way, capitalizing on her first start of the season to lead the BSU offense with a season-high 11 kills.
 
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes play in the LUV Invitational Saturday afternoon, with a 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT first serve versus Mississippi State, which also received votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll.
 
BSU will also face former assistant coach Fritz Rosenberg, who after eight seasons with the Cardinals, is in his first year as associate head coach for the Bulldogs.
 
MORE FROM MATCH 1: Ball State 3 – Oklahoma 1
In addition to Gilliland's 17 kills, senior opposite Natalie Mitchem also had a strong afternoon, smashing a season-high 16 kills and hitting .289 (16-5-38) to help BSU top the Sooners.
 
Setting it all up was reigning MAC West Division Setter of the Week Megan Wielonski who dished out 50 assists and collected 12 digs for her third double-double of the season. In addition to setting the Ball State offense to a .274 (62-19-157) rate of success, Wielonski led all players with three service aces to help give BSU an 8-to-2 edge in the category for the match.
 
Wielonski also had a hand in the final three points, with an assist on the first, a block assist on the second, and a kill on match point.

 In the backcourt, senior libero Maggie Huber tied for match-high honors with 20 digs, while senior outside hitter Natalie Risi collected 11. Risi also scored eight kills and an ace, while Huber added an ace and led Ball State's primary passers with a perfect 1.000 reception percentage on 27 attempts.
 
MORE FROM MATCH 2: Ball State 3 – Lipscomb 0
In addition to Snyder's team-leading 11 kills, Risi followed with nine kills and a .400 (9-1-20) attack percentage. Risi also paced the Cardinals with a pair of aces, while tying for match-high honors with four total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
 
Gilliland followed her 17-kill performance from the opening match with seven more in the nightcap, while hitting .353 (7-1-17).
 
Senior middle Marie Plitt also turned in a solid performance, tallying eight kills and leading all players with a .500 (8-0-16) attack percentage.
 
Huber once again led the Ball State backcourt, this time earning 16 digs. Senior Havyn Gates added nine digs and a perfect 1.000 reception percentage in 10 attempts. She also put together several strong service runs, leading all players with 19 serves.
 
Rounding out BSU's top competitors in the win was Wielonski with 35 more assists, to go along with five digs, three kills, an ace, and a block assist.
 

Buffalo 3, Rider 0 | Boxscore
Lehigh 3, Buffalo 1 | Boxscore
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (3-2, 0-0 MAC) split their matches on Saturday at the Lehigh Steel Tournament.

In the first match of the day, the Bulls took down the Rider Broncs (0-5, 0-0 MAAC) in straight sets, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15. The Bulls dominated the entire match as they held Rider to a dismal hitting percentage of .059. UB ended the match with an impressive hit percentage of .393. The Bulls only had eight attack errors compared to the Broncs' 20.

Defensively the team came up huge having 33 digs and 10.0 blocks. Rider would finish with 3.0 blocks. Leading the way defensively was Stacia Gollogly with 6 blocks as Abby Leigh finished with 4. Hayley Montoya led the way with 9 digs with Cali Assaley (7) and Maria Futey (6) were just behind.
 
The point leaders against Rider were Emma Gielas with 12.0, Cali Assaley had 11.5, coming in with 11.0 was Maria Futey, as Stacia Gollogly finished with 10.0. Reigning MAC East Setter of the Week Mandy Leigh lived up to the title as she had 19 assists against the Broncs.

In the final match of the day, the Bulls dropped the match to the Lehigh Mountain Hawks (4-1, 0-0 Patriot), 28-26, 16-25, 30-32, 25-23. 

M. Leigh continued her dominance at the setter position as she had 43 of the Bulls' 50 assists. Her sister, Abby Leigh led the team with 21 kills. Katrin Trebichavska finished with 12 kills. Montoya continued where she left off adding 15 digs to her total this season. 

Offensively, the Bulls struggled as they had a hitting percentage of .110 against the Mountain Hawks. Lehigh had six solo blocks along with 26 block assists. 
The Bulls are back in action tomorrow at noon against Cleveland State.


Central Michigan 3, Youngstown State 0 | Boxscore
Central Michigan 3, Saint Thomas 1 | Boxscore
SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Another pair of games, another pair of wins.
 
The Central Michigan volleyball team opened the Billiken Invitational on Friday with promise, defeating both Youngstown State and St. Thomas at Saint Louis' Chaifetz Pavilion. 
 
The Chippewas (4-1) opened the tournament with a 3-0 victory over YSU, then defeated the Tommies, 3-1, in the evening. 
 
Teamwork was the answer against Saint Louis as five Chippewas recorded five or more kills apiece in a 25-20, 25-17, 25-19 sweep.
 
Lengthy rallies and scoring runs in the first set eventually fell in favor of the Tommies, 28-26, before CMU buckled down and claimed the next three for the win.
 
The Chippewas pushed for seven of the final nine points of the 25-21 second set, then rallied from a 12-6 deficit in the third for a 25-20 win. CMU rocketed past the Tommies in the finale, winning 25-10.
 
Mallory Hernandez led the Chippewas with a combined 20 kills in the two matches, posting a team-high 14 against the Tommies. Freshman Natalia Rejment and Anna Erickson followed with 19 apiece across both matches.
 
Kamryn Olson and Claire Ammeraal had a combined 22 and 34 assists against the Billikens and Tommies, respectively. CMU sophomore libero Aly Gurtiza finished with 37 digs total. 
 
The Chippewas are set to conclude the Billiken Invitational by taking on host Saint Louis on Saturday, Sept. 3 (7 p.m.). The Billikens (3-0) were scheduled to play Youngstown State on Friday night and will face St. Thomas Saturday morning. 


Kent State 3, Southern Indiana 0
Boxscore
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State volleyball team rarely played from behind during a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) victory over Southern Indiana in Friday night's Kent State Invitational contest, marking the program's fourth straight successful home opener.

The Golden Flashes (3-1) received a complete team effort on the defensive side to hold the Screaming Eagles to a .030 hitting percentage. Senior Gracey Jarecke (18), graduate student Alex Haffner (11) and junior Bryn Roberts (10) tallied double-figure digs and six players contributed at least one block, led by four stuffs by graduate student Danie Tyson.

Freshman Mackenzie McGuire had a career-best 16 kills to lead the Kent State attack. Senior Taylor Heberle and Tyson added nine kills apiece. Haffner registered 31 assists.

The Golden Flashes conclude the Kent State Invitational with two matches on Saturday at the M.A.C. Center. Kent State will battle Cornell at 10 a.m. and return to action against Oakland in the tournament finale at 7 p.m.
 
 
Miami 3, Marshall 2
Boxscore
PEORIA, Ill.—A relentless effort propelled the Miami University volleyball team (1-2) to a five-set win at the Bradley CEFCU Invitation against the host Braves (0-2) on Saturday morning as the RedHawks picked up their first win of the season, 25-21, 24-26, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9. Two RedHawks eclipsed 20 kills with Allyson Severance amassing a career-high 22 and Ellie Hanson following closely behind with 21. Brooke Jackson was named to the all-tournament team for Miami.

Miami took an early advantage and led by as many as four several times, including a 13-9 lead off an Abby Stratford kill. The Braves came back to take their first lead of the match at 16-15. The RedHawks used an 8-1 flurry that included a pair of Gentry Warrick service aces to notch a 23-17 advantage and went on to claim the opening set, 25-21.

Bradley jumped out to a 5-1 lead early in the second set. Another Warrick service ace helped spark the RedHawks as they took a 10-8 lead. Miami took three-point advantages at 19-16 and 23-20, but Bradley closed out the set on a 6-1 run to win the second stanza, 26-24.

Miami took command early and continued its momentum throughout the third set, leading by an 11-5 margin. The RedHawks continued to add to their lead, posting a late 23-15 advantage off a Maggie McCrary kill. Back-to-back kills from Hanson iced the third set for the RedHawks, 25-18.

Bradley pulled out to an 11-8 lead in the fourth set. Miami used a 6-0 flurry mid-way through the set to notch a 17-13 advantage. The Braves came back to take a 22-21 advantage. Both teams battled for points down the stretch, but Bradley came away with the 25-23 win in the fourth set.

A balanced offensive attack and three-straight service aces from Hanson catapulted Miami to a quick 7-1 lead in the fifth set. The Braves got as close as four, but the RedHawks dug deep and persevered for the 15-9 win in the closing set.

Severance's 22 kills led all players and she added 12 digsHanson posted a team-leading 14 digs to go along with three service aces and her 21 kills.Hicks paced the RedHawks with 48 assists. Warrick added 10 kills, three service aces and three blocks, while Margo Lawson posted 13 digs.

The RedHawks return home to host the Miami/Best Western Invitational Sept. 2-3. Miami hosts Marshall in its home opener at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2.
 
 
Northern Illinois 3, Campbell 1
Boxscore
VALPARAISO, Ind. – Ella Mihacevich (Brunswick, Ohio/Padua Franciscan) and Brianna Scuric (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) broke career-highs as the Northern Illinois University volleyball team (3-1, 0-0 MAC) opened the Popcorn Classic by dispatching Campbell (1-3, 0-0 Big South) in four sets (27-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-19).

The Huskies overcame 13 ties, a match-high, in the first set to claim the 27-25 triumph. NIU ended the set on a 5-2 run after a Campbell setting error sealed the set win. In the second set, the Huskies never looked back after opening the set on a 6-1 run. They finished as strong as they started with a 7-1 run which was capped with a kill from Scuric to go up 2-0.

The Camels won the third set after posting their best hitting percentage of the day (.324), but NIU shook off the loss in the fourth and final set. The Huskies rallied for 14 kills and 34 swings for their best hitting percentage of the match (.324) en route to the 25-19 victory.

This was the first ever meeting between the two squads, NIU now holds a 1-0 series record. Scuric went off for a career-high 14 kills and 10 digs (double-double) while Mihacevich also smashed her career-high in set assists with 42. Francesca Bertucci (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle) had a game-high 26 digs while Sammi Lockwood (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge) posted three blocks. Katie Jablonski (Elburn, Ill./Kaneland) nabbed a double-double with 11 digs and 14 kills. Charli Atiemo (Milford, Mich./Farmington Hills Mercy) had a team-high .421 hitting percentage. NIU ended the match with a .242 hitting percentage and 56 kills compared to the Camel's .203 and 46.

The Huskies will continue their run through the Popcorn Classic tomorrow when they play SIUE at 10 a.m. and Valpo at 5 p.m.
 
 
Ohio 3, Kansas City 0  
Ohio 3, Howard 1 | Boxscore
NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Ohio volleyball team (2-2, 0-0 MAC) defeated Kansas City and Howard on Friday (Sept. 2) in Avron B. Arena. The Bobcats swept Kansas City (25-21, 25-20, 25-22) and beat Howard 3-1 (30-28, 19-25, 25-19, 25-14).

Match 1
Ohio outhit Kansas City .295 to .191 with 43 kills on 95 attacks. The Bobcats recorded 41 digs to the Roos' 31.

In set one, Ohio got out to an early lead with two 5-0 runs. Kansas City was able to cut the 12-5 lead to three, but the Bobcats were able to reextend the lead to six. The Roos worked to keep themselves in the set, but ultimately dropped the first set 25-21.

In the second set, both teams had strong offensive showing, tallying eight ties and six lead changes. A 8-1 run by Ohio sealed the deal for the Bobcats and they took set two 25-20.
The final set was a similar story to the second set with eight ties and five lead changes. A 6-0 run secured Ohio the lead and allowed the Bobcats to sweep Kansas City.

Senior outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) led the match offensively with 13 kills and a hitting percentage of .357. Margolies also tallied three service aces, eight digs and a block. Sophomore outside hitter Caroline Clippard (Cincinnati, Ohio) also reached double-digit kills, collecting 11. Clippard was followed by senior middle blocker Caitlin O'Farrell (Suwanee, Ga.) who recorded eight kills.

Defensively, junior libero Sam Steele (Omaha, Neb.) pocketed 11 digs while senior defensive specialist Ciara Livingway (Lake Orion, Mich.) tallied nine. Junior setter Tria McLean (Battle Creek, Neb.) led the match in assists with 21 and senior setter Parker Kwiatkowski (Grand Rapids, Mich.) followed with 11.

Match 2
Ohio outhit Howard as well earning a hitting percentage of .217 with 55 kills on 152 attacks. Howard hit .157 with 45 kills on 140 attacks. The Bobcats where outdug by the Bison 63 to 60, but strong offensive efforts keep Ohio on top.

Set one was a back-and-forth battle between the Bobcats and the Bison. 11 ties and five lead changes brought the final score to 30-28 with Ohio in front.

The second set was taken by Howard after the Bison went on a 7-0 run with four service aces. The Bobcats came back in sets four and five to take the match 3-1.

Margolies, Clippard, and O'Farrell led the team again in kills with each player reaching the double digits. Margolies recorded her first double-double of the season with 16 kills and 10 digs. She hit .317 and secured two service aces. Clippard and O'Farrell tallied 14 and 10 kills with four digs apiece.

Steele led the team in digs with 11 and was followed by junior defensive specialist Maci Watrous (Coppell, Texas) who tallied 10 and McLean who had nine. McLean led the Bobcats in assists with 31 while Kwiatkowski recorded 10 and Steele picked up seven.

Up next, Ohio will return home to host the Bobcat Invitational on Sept. 9-10.