Women's Volleyball

Akron, Kent State Record First #MACtion Wins of 2025

Friday Volleyball results
Akron 3, Ohio 1
Ball State 3, Western Michigan 1
Bowling Green 3, Eastern Michigan 2
Kent State 3, Buffalo 0
Toledo 3, Central Michigan 2
Miami 3, Northern Illinois 0
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Akron 3, Ohio 1 | Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio -The Akron volleyball team racked up 65 kills on the way to a 3-1 victory (28-26, 24-26, 25-18, 31-29) over the Ohio Bobcats on the road Friday night.

The Zips offense was paced by Delaney Gash, who finished with 24 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .303. Gash has recorded 20+ kills in four matches this season. Maureen Mathews followed with 17 while hitting .366. Three other Zips recorded seven or more kills against the Bobcats. Defensively, Akron had two players reach double figures in digs as Martina Villani had 15 and Vanessa Del Real had 14 while Lyndi Wolf led Akron with four blocks. Villani led Akron with 53 assists, the second time this season she's record at least 50, and recorded her third double-double.

The conference win improved Akron's record to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in MAC action.

Game Notes:

» Chidera Ozoh had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Akron put together a strong attacking performance, notching 65 kills in the match.
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-18.
» Gash had a match-high 24 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a match-high 15 digs from Villani.
» Akron attackers were helped by a team-high 53 assists from Villani.

What's Next?
Akron concludes the week with a trip to battle Kent State on Saturday, October 4 for a 4 p.m. start.



Ball State 3, Western Michigan 1 | Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State women's volleyball team remained undefeated in Mid-American Conference play, earning a 3-1 (25-16, 14-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Western Michigan Friday night in Worthen Arena.

The Cardinals (8-8; 4-0 MAC) turned in another solid effort on defense, including limiting the Broncos (6-11; 3-1 MAC) to a .108 hitting mark in the final set to earn the hard-fought victory. Playing a huge role in sealing the victory for Ball State was junior middle Gwen Crull who registered three kills and four total blocks in the final frame.

Overall, Crull finished the match with 11 kills and led the Ball State offense with a .500 (11-1-20) attack percentage. She also tied for match-high honors with six total blocks, while serving up one of the Cardinals' seven aces. It was Crull's fourth match with double-digit kills in the last seven outings.

Sophomore outside Carson Tyler once again led all players with 15 kills on the night, while earning 14 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Five of Tyler's kills came in the final set, including the blast to end the match.

Ball State also received solid offensive performances from sophomore opposite Tiffany Snook and junior middle Camryn Wise who tallied nine and seven kills, respectively. Snook hit .389 (9-2-18) on the night, while league-leader Wise connected at a .385 (7-2-13) clip.

Once again, the setter duo of junior Lindsey Green and freshman Reese Axness ran the show for Ball State, guiding the team to a .227 (54-20-150) attack percentage with 28 and 18 assists, respectively. Axness would add two aces and eight digs, while Green was credited with five digs, one ace, and one kill.

Sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter led all players with 21 digs, her fifth with 20+ digs this season, while successfully passing 43 of the match-high 44 serves she faced. Redshirt freshman opposite Riley Whitlock chipped in five kills, three blocks, and three digs, while graduate outside Noelle VanOort added six kills, three digs, and two blocks.

Also seeing action was sophomore Elizabeth Tabeling with five digs and an ace. Overall, all 10 Cardinals who entered the match recorded at least one dig to help limit WMU to a .222 (55-21-153) attack percentage.

Annalise Patchett and Mary Clare Brusek each collected 12 kills for the Broncos, while Molly Brown chipped in 11 to give the guests three in double figures. Elana Erickson led the WMU defense with 14 digs, while Amanda Glanton tied for match-high honors with six total blocks.

The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road Tuesday, when it battles league travel partner Miami for a 6:30 p.m. first serve at Millett Hall. The Cardinals then return home Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.) to host Toledo.


Bowling Green 3, Eastern Michigan 2 | Box Score
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team went the distance with Eastern Michigan Friday night (Oct. 3), picking up a thrilling five-set victory over the Eagles. Bowling Green took the first set, but Eastern Michigan pushed ahead with the second and third. BGSU forced a fifth set before claiming the match with a 15-13 fifth set score. The Falcons hit over .360 in each set they won and utilized a team-effort across the board for the win. With the victory, Bowling Green moves to 3-0 in the MAC with wins in seven of their last eight and extends a 12-match regular season road MAC winning streak that dates back to Nov. 3, 2023.

The Falcons were paced by a group effort in every facet. Jessica Andrews, Avery Hobson and Edyta Waclawczyk all tied for the team-lead in kills with 16 with Andrews and Waclawczyk both hitting above .375. As for Hobson, she posted one of two BGSU double-doubles, adding 13 digs. Amanda Otten registered the other double-double, logging 48 assists and 15 digs. Despite the high dig totals from Hobson and Otten, it was Sydnie Hernandez who led the team, recording her second 20-dig match of the year with a career-high 22. 

Falcon Stat Leaders
Kills: Jessica Andrews, Avery Hobson, Edyta Waclawczyk (16)
Assists: Amanda Otten (48)
Digs: Sydnie Hernandez (22)
Aces: Anastasija Bozic, Sydnie Hernandez (2)
Blocks: Helen Wilford, Kendal Williams (6)

Falcon Stat Facts

  • Jessica Andrews recorded a season-high 16 kills, tying for the team lead as well as matching her career-high. The total pushed Andrews past the 500-kill mark for her BGSU career, now with 512 in the Orange and Brown. Andrews' 16 kills included a team-best .467 hitting percentage, landing the total on 30 attacks with just two errors. 
  • Andrews added five block assists in the match, bringing her career block total to 395. The mark adds Andrews' name to the top 10 all-time for career total blocks, passing Nicky Mudrak for 10th on the list. 
  • As a team, the Falcons logged a season-high 65 digs, including three players with double-digits. Sydnie Hernandez topped the stat sheet with a career-high 22, her second 20-dig match this season. 
  • Avery Hobson recorded her second-straight double-double, finishing with 16 kills and 13 digs, her kill total tying for the team-lead and her dig total being a new season-high. Her 52 attacks also set a new season-high while matching her career-high. Hobson added a season-high three assists and two blocks to finish out her stat line. 
  • Amanda Otten added her team-leading fifth double-double of the season, logging a team-high 48 assists as well as a career-high 15 digs. Otten nearly had a triple double, landing seven kills while adding three blocks and an ace to complete her stat line.
  • With Hobson and Otten having double-doubles, it marks the second time this season BGSU has had multiple double-doubles after posting two as a team against Purdue on Sept. 4. Through three MAC matches, the Falcons have four double-doubles as a team.
  • Edyta Waclawczyk joined Andrews and Hobson for the team lead in kills with a career-high 16. For the third-straight match, Waclawczyk hit above .300 with a .379 mark, landing her 16 kills on a season-high 29 attacks with five errors. 
  • Helen Wilford and Kendall Williams tied for the team-lead in blocks, each with six. For Williams, the mark matches her season-high. 
  • Anastasija Bozic landed a pair of aces, tying for the team-lead while matching her season-high. She also recorded seven digs, tying her season-high, as well as three assists, setting a new career-high.
  • The Falcons have now won seven of their last eight contests, including the last four to advance to 9-6 on the year and 3-0 in the MAC. 
  • The win for Bowling Green marks the 399th MAC win in program history, just one shy of becoming the fourth team in conference history to eclipse 400. 
  • With the win, BGSU now has a 12-match regular season road winning streak against MAC opponents, dating back to Nov. 3, 2023. 
  • The win is the first five-set win of the season for the Falcons after falling short in their two five-set matches earlier this year. 

Up Next
The Falcons will continue their MAC road trip with a match against Central Michigan on Saturday (Oct. 4) with a 4 p.m. start. Bowling Green will remain on the road for a non-conference midweek match against Toledo on Tuesday (Oct. 7) with a 6 p.m. first serve.



Kent State 3, Buffalo 0 | Box Score
KENT, Ohio – Kent State opened its home schedule with a 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) sweep over Buffalo on Friday evening at the M.A.C. Center.

The Golden Flashes (6-8, 1-2 MAC) totaled a season-high 13 blocks and held the Bulls to their lowest hitting percentage (.031) of the year. Redshirt sophomore Adalynn Ginley led the way with seven blocks, including three solo stuffs. Sophomore Nadia Miller totaled a career-high six blocks and junior Christina Vigil added five.

Senior Mackenzie McGuire led the way with 10 kills and 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Freshman Macie Moreland contributed nine kills, and Miller had seven kills on 11 errorless attempts for a .636 hitting percentage. Vigil recorded 30 assists.

The Flashes dominated throughout the match and trailed just three times after losing the first point in the first and third sets.

Kent State continues a three-match homestand on Saturday against rival Akron. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m.



Toledo 3, Central Michigan 2 | Box Score
MT. PLEASANT, Mich. – The Toledo women's volleyball team rallied to record a hard-fought 3-2 win (22-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22, 15-9) over Central Michigan on Friday evening. The victory was the sixth straight for the Rockets and moves Toledo to 12-3 (3-0 MAC), which is the best start to a season in program history.

Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp paced the Rockets' offense, recording a career-best 17 kills on a .500 clip with only two errors. Junior Brooke Naniseni added a career-high seven terminations. Redshirt sophomore Sierra Pertzborn also had seven kills to go along with eight total blocks.

Senior setter Kelsey Smith recorded a double-double in the second consecutive match, totaling 37 assists and a team-high 17 digs to go with four blocks and four kills. Sophomore libero Grace Freiberger poured in 16 digs and a team-best four service aces.

Toledo's defense tallied 12 total blocks and held the Chippewas to a .138 hitting percentage.

Quoting Head Coach Brian Wright
On the match:
"Really proud of our fight tonight. Being down 2-1 on the road in the MAC and coming back to win is a big deal. This is a never-give-up team that shows up day-in and day-out, and we executed well when we got pushed. Liv (Heitkamp) was solid offensively all night long; it was a huge night for her. I'm really proud of Brooke (Naniseni), Kayla (Ozanich) and Iremnr (Elmas) for coming off the bench and making a huge impact. It's always a sign of a great team when everyone is ready to compete."

On setting the program record:
"You never set out with records in mind or trying to do anything other than be great and be your best every single day. Having said that, when you break any record like this and are part of writing history in a long-storied program, it's a big deal.  This is a team that wants to continue to elevate Toledo Volleyball on to an even bigger stage and I'm proud of the work they put in each day to make it a priority."

Up Next
Toledo heads to Ypsilanti, Mich. to take on Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 4. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.


Miami 3, Northern Illinois 0 | Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University volleyball team (9-7, 3-1 MAC) swept Northern Illinois (9-4, 2-2 MAC) in three sets (25-16, 25-21, 25-11) on Friday evening at Millett Hall. Several RedHawks had match-leading performances, as Lauren Coyne recorded 13 kills (.458 hitting percentage), Kamryn Utley dished out 20 assists and Hayden Hicks poured in three service aces. Defensively, Coyne smacked down seven blocks, and Lindsay Kahren totaled 23 digs.

NOTES:
  • The RedHawks produced their second highest team hitting percentage (.330) of the season in a match.
  • Miami produced more kills (41), service aces (4), digs (55), assists (40) and blocks (10) than Northern Illinois.
UP NEXT:
The RedHawks continue conference play by hosting Ball State on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 6:30 p.m.