Kent State University
Youngstown State University
Kent State Hosts Youngstown State Tuesday Evening
9/15/2014 1:19:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – The M.A.C. Center will showcase a pair of fast-rising Northeast Ohio volleyball programs Tuesday night when Kent State (7-2) hosts Youngstown State (9-2) for a 7 p.m. contest.
Third-year head coach Don Gromala has Kent State off to its best start since 2008. The Golden Flashes have earned some impressive victories early in the season and are 3-0 against schools that played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago (College of Charleston, Morehead State, New Hampshire). A talented group of freshmen has provided the Flashes with depth at every position and the ability to win matches in a variety of ways.
Also under the direction of a third-year head coach, Youngstown State is off to its best start since 1995. The Penguins opened the season with six straight victories, losing just two sets in the process. Friday night, the Penguins came away with a thrilling 3-2 victory over a Virginia team out of the ACC that was unbeaten entering the weekend.
The Flashes will look to avenge last season's 3-1 (15-25, 20-25, 27-25, 20-25) loss to the Penguins on the road. Coming off a 1-1 weekend to open the Mid-American Conference portion of the schedule, Kent State struggled in the first two sets. After winning a close third set, YSU's offense was too much in the fourth. The Penguins hit .287 as a team while the Flashes managed a .147 hitting percentage.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Fans that are unable to make it out to the M.A.C. Center can follow all of the action online. Live stats and video will be available on KentStateSports.com. Additionally, the "Voice of the Golden Flashes" Ty Linder will be calling the action on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio channel.
Also, be sure to follow the Flashes on Twitter and Instagram.
M.A.C. CENTER MAGIC
For the second consecutive season, Kent State defended the M.A.C. Center with a 3-0 record at the Hampton Inn Golden Flashes Classic to open its home schedule on Sept. 5-6. The Flashes are now 10-4 at home over the past two seasons. Additionally, Kent State has won nine straight contests against Youngstown State at the M.A.C. Center.
FALL FOOD FIGHT
Kent State's fall sports teams are holding a "Fall Food Fight" to collect non-perishable food items to help restock the shelves at the Center of Hope in Ravenna, Kent Social Services and the Kent State Food Pantry.
Fans are encouraged to support the "Fall Food Fight" by bringing canned goods and non-perishable food items with them to games. Donation bins will be located inside the lobby area of the M.A.C. Center at volleyball matches throughout the season.
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State made it three consecutive winning weekends to open the season by posting a 2-1 record at the Mountaineer Invitational. While the Golden Flashes suffered a 3-1 loss to host West Virginia on Friday, the Flashes impressed in a 25-19 first set victory that snapped WVU's 18-set winning streak. The Flashes finished the weekend on a high note with a 3-1 victory over Saint Francis (Pa.) and a 3-2 victory over Montana.
Setter Brittney Jakscht received all-tournament team honors for the first time of her young career. The freshman from East Troy, Wis. led Kent State with 120 assists (9.23 per set) and six aces. Jakscht also had 22 digs, 6 kills and 6 blocks.
Senior outside hitter/opposite Lauren Engleman led the offense with 39 kills and 42.5 points in a breakout performance. After playing only in spots over the first two weekends of the season, Engleman made the most of her opportunity. She had eight kills and hit .462 in the final two sets against West Virginia and followed with 15 kills against Saint Francis (Pa.) and 16 kills against Montana.
Defensively, Kent State was led by freshman defensive specialist/libero Challen Geraghty and senior middle blocker Liz Reikow. Geraghty tallied 49 digs (3.77 per set) and had a career-high 29 digs against Montana. Reikow posted 14 blocks (1.08 per set) that included a dominant 11-block performance against Saint Francis (Pa.).
SCOUTING KENT STATE
Improvements in attacking and blocking have played a large role in Kent State's early-season success. Outside hitter Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola is enjoying the best season of her career in Blue and Gold and leads the offense with 3.32 kills per set. Outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger has been a valuable asset in her freshman season, posting 2.76 kills and 2.82 digs per set to rank second on the team in both categories.
Jenny Buczek and Brittney Jakscht have shared setting duties thus far. Buczek is averaging 10.07 assists in 14 sets, while Jakscht is averaging 7.77 assists in 31 sets. With 16 blocks, 10 kills and a team-high 10 aces, Jakscht is also averaging just under one point per set.
Opponents are hitting .148 against the Flashes, with West Virginia being the only team to eclipse the .200 mark. A more effective block, led by Liz Reikow and Bridget Wilhelm, can claim some of the credit for that. Reikow has a team-high 44 blocks (1.22 per set) and Wilhelm has recorded 29 blocks (0.81 per set).
When the front row is not blocking attacks or forcing them to go out of bounds, the back row has done a nice job of keeping the ball alive. Challen Geraghty has seen the majority of time at libero and leads Kent State with 3.69 digs per set. Kaylee Koller has also seen action at libero and averages 2.31 digs per set.
SCOUTING YOUNGSTOWN STATE
Youngstown State owns a 9-2 record for the first time since 1995 after winning two of three matches at the Wildcat Classic over the weekend. After being swept by host Northwestern to start the weekend, the Penguins got a five-set victory over Virginia and a four-set victory over Loyola (Md.). The Penguins and Golden Flashes have one common opponent so far this season, Saint Francis (Pa.) Both teams defeated the Red Flash in four sets.
Setter Val Jeffery has keyed YSU's offensive success early in the season. Jeffery is averaging 10.61 assists per set and adds 2.74 digs per set. She has received all-tournament team accolades in each of the Penguins' three weekends to start the season, including MVP honors at the Belmont Invitational.
Outside hitter Lexi Egler leads YSU's offense with 3.34 kills per set and is also second on the team at 3.02 digs per set. Middle blocker Shannon Watson has a team-best 1.37 blocks per set and adds 2.61 kills per set. Defensive specialist Nikki Thompson leads the Penguins with 4.49 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State holds a decisive 18-4 edge in its series with Youngstown State. The Golden Flashes are 9-1 when hosting the Penguins at the M.A.C. Center. The lone loss came in 1976 and Kent State has won nine straight as the home team since then. In fact, YSU has won just four sets total during that nine-match stretch.
Youngstown State won last year's meeting, 3-1, at the Beeghly Center. Missy Hundelt did it all for the Penguins and shared the team lead with 12 kills, 13 digs and 5 blocks. Shannon Watson and Lexi Egler added 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Kent State was led by Kelly Hutchison's double-double (12 kills and 11 digs). Liz Reikow added 11 kills.
NEXT UP
Kent State concludes its non-conference schedule with a trip to Towson for three matches at the Tiger Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 19-20).
