Kent State University
Towson University
Volleyball Concludes Non-Conference Schedule with Trio of Matches at Tiger Invitational
9/18/2014 2:16:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – With the beginning of Mid-American Conference play on the horizon, Kent State (8-2) will bring its non-conference schedule to a close with three matches at the Tiger Invitational in Towson, Md.
Kent State is off to its best start since 2008 when it won 10 of 12 matches to open the season. The 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 strong defense and multiple options at the pins have allowed them to win matches in a variety of ways.
The Flashes face a difficult task for the second straight weekend, opening Friday with the host team and then having a quick turnaround for its second match. The Golden Flashes will play host Towson at 1 p.m. and then have to be ready to take on St. John's out of the Big East at 5 p.m. The weekend will conclude with an 11 a.m. match against North Dakota State on Saturday.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Fans can follow all of the action online. Live stats and video will be available on TowsonTigers.com. Also, be sure to follow the Flashes on Twitter and Instagram.
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State remained unbeaten at the M.A.C. Center with a 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-21, 23-25, 15-12) win over Youngstown State on Tuesday. Led by a career night from senior Lauren Engleman, the Flashes totaled a season-best 70 kills. Engleman finished the match with 22 kills and a .341 attack percentage. Senior Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola and junior Kelly Hutchison added 17 and 11 kills, respectively.
Coming off all-tournament team honors at the Mountaineer Invitational, freshman Brittney Jakscht handed out a career-high 62 assists in the victory. Jakscht added three kills on seven attempts for a .429 attack percentage.
Kent State had another strong blocking performance with 12 stuffs. Senior Liz Reikow had a team-high seven blocks. Jakscht and Engleman added three blocks each. Freshman Challen Geraghty led four back row players in double-figures with 23 digs. Junior Sarah Mills had 14, senior Kaylee Koller had 13 and sophomore Maddie Moxley added a career-high 10 digs.
SCOUTING KENT STATE
Senior Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola is off to a great start and leads Kent State's offense with 3.81 points and 3.33 kills per set. Freshman Kelsey Bittinger is second on the team with 2.76 kills and 2.82 digs per set. Senior Lauren Engleman has made the most of her opportunity and provided a lift over the past four matches. Engleman is averaging 4.07 kills per set during that time.
Brittney Jakscht has taken over the setting duties and is averaging 8.42 assists per set. With 19 blocks, 13 kills and a team-high 10 aces, Jakscht is also averaging just under one point per set.
An improved blocking game has allowed opponents to hit just .157 against the Flashes. Senior Liz Reikow leads the MAC with 1.24 blocks per set, while junior Bridget Wilhelm has added 0.76 blocks per set.
The back row has done a great job of scrapping and come up with 182 digs in the last two matches. Freshman Challen Geraghty is posting a team-high 3.80 digs per set, while senior Kaylee Koller is averaging 2.34 digs per set.
SCOUTING TOWSON
Towson (10-1) matched last season's win total with a 3-0 sweep of Delaware State on Wednesday. The Tigers got off to a 9-0 start before being swept by Alabama this past weekend. Not only has Towson been playing winning volleyball, but it has dominated its opponents statistically. The Tigers are averaging 5.53 kills, 4.47 digs and 1.22 blocks per set more than their opponents. They rank fifth nationally with a .325 hitting percentage while holding opponents to a .059 clip.
Outside hitter Saitaua Iosia leads Towson's offense with 4.52 kills and 5.38 points per set, ranking 14th and 9th, respectively. Iosia ranks 35 nationally with a .412 hitting percentage. Middle blocker/outside hitter Haley Pa'akaula adds 3.31 kills per set and is hitting .310. Liberi Paige Sekerak leads the defense with 3.35 digs per set.
SCOUTING ST. JOHN'S
St. John's (9-3) enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak following a 3-0 sweep of LaSalle on Wednesday. Two of the Red Storm's losses came to ranked team (No. 22 Oregon and No. 20 Hawaii) at the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic at the beginning of the month.
Outside hitters Alexandra Wachowicz and Karen Palgutova lead St. John's with 4.00 kills per set each. Wachowicz is hitting .304 and has a team-high 22 aces, while Palgutova adds 2.51 digs per set. Setter Deniz Mutlugil runs the offense and is averaging 10.3 assists per set. Libero Shawna-Lei Santos leads the defense with 3.83 digs per set.
SCOUTING NORTH DAKOTA STATE
North Dakota State (4-6) has won three of its last four matches, including a 3-1 victory over MAC foe Miami this past weekend. The Bison were defeated by the RedHawks, 3-0, in their season opener.
The Bison have struggled offensively and are averaging just 12.34 kills per set and a .170 attack percentage. Outside hitter Jenni Fassbender leads NDSU with 3.38 kills per set and 15 aces. Middle blocker Emily Minnick adds 2.74 kills per set and a team-best .296 attack percentage. Defensive specialist Emily Milligan leads the defense with4.32 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State is 3-0 all-time against Towson. The Golden Flashes defeated the Tigers in 3-0 sweeps during the 1994-96 seasons, the final of which was played at Towson. This will be the first time that Kent State has played St. John's and North Dakota State on the volleyball court.
NEXT UP
Kent State opens MAC play with a challenging road trip next week. The Flashes will play at defending MAC champion Ohio on Thursday and then head up to Ypsilanti to play Eastern Michigan on Saturday.
