Kent State University
12-13, 6-6MAC
University of Akron
6-17, 0-12MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AKRON | 19 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 7 | 2 |
| Kent State | 25 | 13 | 25 | 21 | 15 | 3 |
Kent State Volleyball Completes Season Sweep with 3-2 Victory Over Rival Akron
11/2/2013 11:14:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Photo Gallery
KENT, Ohio – For the second night in a row, the Kent State volleyball team came away with a thrilling five-set victory in front of a home crowd at the M.A.C. Center by defeating Akron 3-2 (25-19, 13-25, 25-16, 21-25, 15-7) Saturday evening. The win gives the Golden Flashes their first season sweep of the Zips since 2009 and a full point towards this year's PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge.
"It was a really odd match," said head coach Don Gromala. "All you have to do is win 3 of the 5, and that's what we've been fortunate to do the last two nights. Once again, we came out great in that 5th set and that's the difference. There's so much adrenaline, especially with this being a rivalry match. Our girls were ready to go. They wanted this really bad."
On a night when the offense was inconsistent, the Kent State defense played exceptional and held Akron to a .083 attack percentage, including .000 in the decisive fifth set. Junior Kaylee Koller and sophomore Sarah Mills both had career nights to lead the defensive effort. Koller tallied a match-high 30 digs, while Mills managed to dig out 19 attempts by the Zips.
"We talked about coming out with our energy," Gromala said. "We had a great dig output. I think that started in the beginning of the match and we did it in the fifth set when it mattered most."
Playing Akron has brought out the best in junior Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola this season, as the outside hitter equaled the season-high 15 kills she posted against the Zips at James A. Rhodes Arena back in September. Aderemi-Ibitola shined brightest in the final set once again with six kills, which was one fewer than how many points the Zips scored for the set.
The Flashes featured a balanced attack for the second night in a row, as sophomore Kelly Hutchison (13) and junior Lauren Engleman (11) also had double-digit kills. Junior Liz Reikow and sophomore Bridget Wilhelm provided solid offensive production from the middle with nine kills each. Wilhelm was also a presence on defense throughout the night, totaling seven blocks.
Aleksandra Nowak showed her versatility with 48 assists and 10 digs for Kent State, which is the seventh double-double of her senior season.
"I think it's more special for the seniors because it was the first time they swept Akron since coming here, so I'm really excited for Hannah (Herc) and Ola (Nowak) to be a part of that."
Kent State looks to move closer to securing a spot in this month's Mid-American Conference Tournament when it returns to action next weekend with matches at Miami and Bowling Green on Friday and Saturday.
