Kent State University
Eastern Michigan University
Golden Flashes Open 2014 MAC Volleyball Championship on Friday
11/20/2014 10:27:00โฏPM | Women's Volleyball
2014 MAC Volleyball Championship Central
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KENT, OhioโThe Kent State volleyball team has won four times during the month of November and will need to match that win total this weekend in order to capture the school's first Mid-American Conference volleyball title. For the 7th-seeded Golden Flashes, that task begins with a 7:30 p.m. matchup against Eastern Michigan on Friday night at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
Third-year head coach Don Gromala hopes his team is peaking as the postseason begins. Kent State (16-13, 8-8 MAC) finished the regular by winning four of its final five matches and hopes to carry that momentum to this weekend. By defeating Bowling Green in the regular season finale, the Golden Flashes locked up their first winning season since 2007, which is also the last time they finished with at least a .500 winning percentage in league play.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The top eight teams in the conference standings, regardless of division, earn spots in the MAC Volleyball Championship. There have been a few modifications to the tournament from previous seasons.
The most notable change is the bracket setup. The conference's top two seeds earn a bye to the semifinals, which will be played on Sunday. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds earn a bye to the quarterfinals, which will be played on Saturday. The other four teams play in first round matchups on Friday and must win four matches in order to claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As a result of the bracket modifications, the tournament has been extended and now takes place over four days.
The other change to the tournament is the site of the host venue. SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio served as a neutral site for the tournament the past three years. The tournament has been moved back to a campus site, with the host school being awarded to the regular season champion from the previous season.ย
FOLLOW THE #MACTION
All matches from the 2014 MAC Volleyball Championship will beย streamed liveย on the conference website. Fans can also follow each match courtesy of live stats.
KENT STATE IN THE MAC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Kent State owns an 8-15 all-time record in MAC Volleyball Championship play since its inception in 1987. The Flashes advanced to the championship match in their first appearance back in 1996, losing to Miami 3-0. They have made three semifinal appearances with the most recent coming in 2007, which is also the last time the Flashes won a match in the tournament. Kent State swept through Buffalo and Bowling Green in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively, before losing in four sets to Ohio in the semifinals.
After failing to qualify for the tournament in 2011 and 2012, the Flashes returned to the field a season ago with just two players who had tournament experience. Playing without kills leader Kelly Hutchison, Kent State could not get much going on offense but was able to hang around with top-seed Ohio before ultimately losing, 3-0 (21-25, 23-25, 19-25).
FINISHING STRONG
A combination of improved defense and a more consistent offensive attack have contributed to Kent State's 4-1 mark since the calendar turned to November. This month, four Flashes are averaging at least 2.35 kills per set and three Flashes are averaging at least 3.00 digs per set. Freshman outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger is the only player in both categories with averages of 2.87 kills per set and 3.09 digs per set. Bittinger was one of three Flashes who posted a career-high against Bowling Green with 22 digs. Junior defensive specialist Sarah Mills had 21 digs and junior middle blocker Bridget Wilhelm had 20 kills for new career marks.
The lone loss this month was a hard-fought five-setter against third-seeded Miami, which would be the Kent State's opponent in Saturday's quarterfinals with a win on Friday. Despite playing from behind for most of the night, the Flashes nearly snapped the RedHawks' nine-match winning streak. The final set featured four ties and three lead changes and the Flashes appeared to have all of the momentum after a four-point spurt gave them an 8-7 lead as the teams traded sides of the court. However, Miami went on to score 8 of the next 11 points to win the match.
During his first two seasons at the helm, Gromala's squad were just 2-9 during the month of November. A much deeper team at all positions has allowed Kent State to overcome injuries or poor individual performances and turnaround its late-season fortunes this year. Although their playing time has been limited this season, senior setter Jenny Buczek, sophomore defensive specialist Maddie Moxley and freshman right side hitter Heather Younkin have all made contributions in the final month.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
Following a disappointing 3-1 loss to Mercer to open the season, Kent State reeled off five consecutive wins. That streak included wins over three teamsโCollege of Charleston, Morehead State and New Hampshireโthat were coming off NCAA Tournament appearances a season ago. The Golden Flashes bounced back from a loss to host West Virginia to take two of three at the Mountaineer Invitational. A mid-week win at the M.A.C. Center over Youngstown State gave the Flashes their best start since 2008 at 8-2 entering the final non-conference weekend.
For the first time this season, Kent State did not return home with a winning weekend and lost all three matches at the Towson Invitational. The final two matches went five sets, but the Flashes just could not make the necessary plays at pivotal moments in those matches.
A challenging start to the conference season then awaited the Flashes, as they headed to defending champion Ohio for their first match. While the Bobcats dominated in a 25-11 opening set victory, the Flashes came right back to take the next set and tie the match. Although Ohio came out on top in the next two sets, which featured 18 ties and 8 lead changes, Kent State showed that it was capable of competing with the best competition the MAC has to offer. The team then headed to Eastern Michigan, where it was swept by the Eagles to conclude a 0-2 weekend.
AWARDS SEASON
For the first time since 2010, Kent State was represented on the all-conference list when it was released on Thursday (Nov. 20). A pair of seniors, outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola and middle blocker Liz Reikow, received All-MAC Second Team honors. Additionally, libero Challen Geraghty was named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
BREAKING RECORDS
During Kent State's PNC Wagon Wheel Challenge victory at Akron on Nov. 8, two Golden Flashes set new class records. Liz Reikow broke the record for most blocks by a senior and enters the postseason with 132 blocks, which is the 35th-most in the country this season. Challen Geraghty entered the record book with the most digs by a freshman in Kent State history. Geraghty has tallied 503 digs on the year, which ranks third among freshmen in the nation.
