Kent State University
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Western Michigan
Flashes Hit the Road to Start Second Half of MAC Season
10/20/2017 2:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio — Kent State seeks a strong start to the second half of the Mid-American Conference volleyball season this week on a road trip that begins Friday at Western Michigan (12-7, 5-3 MAC) and then heads to Northern Illinois (5-18, 4-4 MAC) on Saturday.
The Golden Flashes (4-15, 2-6 MAC) are currently tied for ninth in the conference standings but only two wins out of sixth-place. The top eight teams will qualify for the 2017 MAC Volleyball Championships in Oxford, Ohio from Nov. 16-19.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 20
7 p.m. Kent State at Western Michigan – Live Stats • Video
Saturday, Oct. 21
8 p.m. Kent State at Northern Illinois – Live Stats • Video ($)
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State was unable to build on its 2-0 performance in Week 3 of league play and dropped a pair of home matches to MC West Division co-leaders Ball State (1-3) and Toledo (0-3) last weekend. While the defense was solid with 165 digs (23.57/set) in holding opponents to a .224 hitting percentage, the offense struggled to put the ball away with 90 kills (12.86/set) and a .162 hitting percentage.
Senior libero Challen Geraghty tallied 50 digs (7.14/set) and extended her streak to six straight matches with at least 20. Geraghty's 29 digs against Toledo are tied for the fourth-most in the country this season in a three-setter. As a team, Kent State had 75 digs against the Rockets, which is tied for the 13th-most in a three-setter this season. Geraghty recorded 21 digs against Ball State on Friday, and her school-record total of 2,268 is fifth in the MAC record book.
Junior outside hitter Lexi Mantas was second on the team with 28 digs (4.00/set). Sophomore defensive specialist Claire Tulisiak had 25 digs (3.57/set) and senior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger added 24 digs (3.43/set). Tulisiak has posted double-digit digs in five of the last six matches.
Bittinger averaged 5.00 points per set, as she posted 31 kills (4.43/set) to lead the Flashes' offense. Mantas had a season-high 13 kills against Ball State and finished the weekend with 18 kills (2.57/set). Freshman setter Natalie Tagala recorded 67 assists (9.57/set) and added six kills.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
The Broncos (12-7, 5-3 MAC) return home after a road trip in which they went 1-3. WMU was the lone unbeaten team through the first two weekends of conference play before dropping back-to-back four-setters to Ball State and Toledo. The Broncos got back in the win column by downing Akron (3-1) last Friday but then fall to Buffalo (1-3) on Saturday.
University Arena has provided a home court advantage for WMU, which is a perfect 5-0 this season at home. The Broncos has dropped just three sets in those matches and have a .267 hitting percentage while holding opponents to a .150 hitting percentage.
WMU has one of the top offenses in the conference, ranking second in the MAC at 13.44 kills per set and third at a .214 hitting percentage. In a match against Liberty earlier this season, the Broncos recorded an impressive .519 hitting percentage, which is tied for the nation's 10th-best mark in a three-setter this season. In that match, right side/middle blocker Quiana Ware posted 14 kills on 19 errorless swings for a .737 hitting percentage and middle blocker hit .688 with 12 kills and one error on 16 attempts.
Ware (3.04 kills/set) leads a trio of Broncos that average at least 3.00 kills per set. Outside hitter Rachel Bontrager (3.03 kills/set) is among the top freshmen in the conference and leads WMU with seven double-doubles. Middle blocker Sydney LeMay, a three-time All-MAC First Team selection, adds 3.00 kills per set and leads the team with a .300 hitting percentage and 0.83 blocks per set.
Setter Mary Murphy ranks second in the MAC at 10.59 assists per set.
Defensively, the Broncos have held opponents to a .162 hitting percentage, which ranks 27th nationally. Libero Kathleen Reilly leads the defense with 5.09 digs per set and ranks 36th in the country. Reilly earned four consecutive MAC West Defensive Player of the Week honors earlier this season.
SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS
Playing a brutal non-conference schedule which ranked as the 12th-toughest in the country at the start of the MAC season, the Huskies (5-18, 4-4 MAC) opened the season with 11 straight losses. NIU has played much better as of late, and enters the weekend having won four of its last five matches.
NIU ranks among the bottom three in the conference in every statistical category, including last in kills per set (10.93), opponent hitting percentage (.256), assists per set (10.16) and aces per set (0.81). The Huskies are 3-1 when recording a hitting percentage above .200 but just 2-17 when failing to hit that mark.
Freshman outside hitter Kaylee Martin (3.65 kills/set) has been a big part of the Huskies' recent success. In conference matches, Martin leads the MAC with averages of 4.98 points and 4.48 kills per set. Her career-high 34 kills at Bowling Green on Sept. 23 are tied for the second-most in the nation this season. Middle blocker Meg Wolowicz adds 2.41 kills per set and leads the team in hitting percentage (.234) and blocks (0.98/set).
Chandler Kinley (7.62 assists/set) has taken over full-time setting duties after sharing time with Samantha Boever for the early portion of the season. During the conference season, Kinley ranks seventh at 10.09 assists per set.
Libero Anna Brereton averages 4.22 digs per set, which ranks eighth in the conference. Anna Brereton is 12th among active NCAA Division I players with 1,767 career digs.
ALL-TIME VS. OPPONENTS
Kent State owns a 14-35 record all-time against Western Michigan, but has won the last two matchups. Head coach Don Gromala is 3-2 vs. the Broncos.
The Golden Flashes are 8-28 all-time against Northern Illinois, but handed the Huskies their final regular season loss, 3-1, at Victor E. Court last season. Head coach Don Gromala is 2-3 vs. NIU.
UP NEXT
Kent State returns home next weekend, hosting a pair of MAC East Division foes at the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes will take on Buffalo next Friday (Oct. 27), then welcome Akron on Saturday (Oct. 28). Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
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