Kent State University
11-13, 5-6MAC
University at Buffalo
16-8, 4-7MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffalo | 22 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 11 | 2 |
| Kent State | 25 | 26 | 14 | 17 | 15 | 3 |
Volleyball Demonstrates Poise in Five-Set Victory Over Bulls
11/1/2013 9:51:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State volleyball team earned a hard-fought victory over Buffalo, 3-2 (25-22, 26-24, 14-25, 17-25, 15-11) in a Mid-American Conference matchup Friday evening at the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes (11-13, 5-6) won the first two sets and prevented the comeback by taking the fifth and deciding set.
"Our girls grinded one out tonight," said head coach Don Gromala. "They out-performed us in every stat but we found a way to get the victory. Tonight, we went back to taking care of those critical points in those close sets. It's a tough time of the year and this was a very critical match for us as a program to get to the MAC Tournament."
Junior Lauren Engleman posted a career-high 13 kills to lead Kent State on offense. The Flashes featured a balanced attack throughout the match, as Liz Reikow (11), Bridget Wilhelm (11), Kelly Hutchison (10) and Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola (10) joined her with double-digit kills.
The match opened with two highly-competitive sets, and the Flashes found a way to come out on top in both. A total of 23 ties and 11 lead changes occurred in those two sets. After Kent State won the opening set, Buffalo was in position to even the match with a 24-23 lead. Reikow had different ideas, however. The 6'6" middle blocker tied the score with a kills, teamed with Engleman on a block and finished it off with a kill to go up 2-0.
Coming out of the intermission, Buffalo looked like a different team. The Bulls led pretty much wire-to-wire in both sets and seemed to steal momentum from its host, winning sets 3 and 4 by 11 and 8 points, respectively.
The Flashes caught fire when it mattered most, totaling 10 kills and a .409 attack percentage in winning the fifth set. Engleman, Aderemi-Ibitola and Hutchison delivered three kills apiece in that deciding set.
"We came out really well in set 5, and that was the difference," Gromala said. "I think it shows a lot about their determination and just their focus on what they want to accomplish."
Senior Aleksandra Nowak recorded a match-best 44 assists to lead the Kent State offense. Junior Kaylee Koller led the defense with 13 digs and Hutchison added 10 for her third double-double of the year.
Kent State is back in action Saturday night when it hosts rival Akron at the M.A.C. Center. The match begins at 7 p.m. with the winner receiving a half-point towards this year's PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge. The Flashes earned a thrilling 3-2 victory in the first meeting of the year between the schools.
