Kent State University
Cal State Fullerton University
Volleyball Makes Trip to California for Fullerton Classic
9/5/2013 5:46:00โฏPM | Women's Volleyball
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KENT, Ohio - The Kent State volleyball team returns to action this weekend with its first ever trip to California, and first visit to the West Coast since 1997. The Golden Flashes will play a total of three matches on Friday and Saturday at Cal State Fullerton as part of the Fullerton Classic.
The weekend begins against host Cal State Fullerton at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, followed by a pair of matches on Saturday against Gardner-Webb (1 p.m.) and William & Mary (7:30 p.m.).
The Golden Flashes opened the season with a 1-2 mark at the Indiana Invitational this past weekend. After dropping a 3-0 decision to Rutgers in the opener, the squad was dominant in its win over Robert Morris, surrendering just 49 points in the three-set victory. The Flashes concluded the weekend with a hard-fought 3-1 loss to the host Hoosiers, who had not lost a set in their first previous matches of the season.ย
It was an unconventional week for Kent State, which returned to action after just a day of rest for a Labor Day exhibition against Polish professional club team Dabrowa Górnicza. The Flashes lost 3-0, but head coach Don Gromala was pleased with his team's performance, especially on the defensive side. He also felt that Dabrowa's style of play would help them in preparing for this weekend.
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"I think it will help us when we go out and play Cal State Fullerton. Usually the West Coast style is similar to the European style of volleyball with more use of back row attacks."
For live updates, follow the Flashes on Twitterย @KentStVball. Also,ย live statsย andย live videoย will be available throughย www.fullertontitans.com.ย
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Flash Facts
- Junior middle blocker Liz Reikow had a strong opening weekend and was named to the all-tournament team after hitting a team-best .304 and totaling 22 kills, eight blocks, and six digs.
- The defense showed much improvement from last season over the first weekend, limiting foes to a .170 hitting percentage while averaging 2.6 blocks/set. Sophomore middle blocker Bridget Wilhelm led the way with 10 blocks.
- Wilhelm, who saw limited time on the court as a freshman, showed the biggest improvement in the first weekend. Against Indiana, she totaled a career-high eight blocks and added four against Dabrowa on Monday.
- Sophomore opposite Kelly Hutchison and freshman outside hitter Bianca Cifaldi led the Kent State attack. Hutchison posted a team-best 24 kills at Indiana and was impressive against Dabrowa with 11 kills. Cifaldi added 23 kills, including 12 against Indiana.
Scouting This Week's Opponents
Cal State Fullerton
- This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
- Cal State Fullerton (1-2) won just once over the weekend at the UNLV Invitational.
- Senior right side hitter Alyse Hensley earned all-tournament team honors after totaling 33 kills and 38 digs, including a double-double with 18 kills and 21 digs in a 3-2 loss to Kansas State.
Gardner-Webb
- This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
- Gardner-Webb's (1-2) only victory on the season came against Montreat College, a member of the NAIA
- Sophomore defensive specialist/libero Anna Pashkova earned all-tournament team honors after totaling 69 digs in 14 sets.
William & Mary
- This will be the third meeting between the two schools, with each team owning a 1-1 record in the all-time series.
- William & Mary (1-2) competed at the Tribe Invitational this past weekend to open the season.
- Sophomore Dessi Koleva was the team's top hitter with 32 kills.
Next Up
Kent State will travel to Huntington, W. Va. For the Thunder Invitational next weekend.
