Kent State University
18-9, 12-3MAC
University of Akron
8-20, 2-13MAC
Seniors Shine In 3-0 Victory Over Rival Zips
11/13/2015 8:36:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State played one of its most complete matches of the season in making quick work of rival Akron, 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-19), on Senior Night at the M.A.C. Center Friday evening. The Golden Flashes trailed just once during the match en route to their third consecutive season sweep of the Zips.
On a night when they were recognized for their contributions to the program, Kent State's seniors stepped up just like they have done numerous times over the past four seasons. Opposite Kelly Hutchison tied for the match-high with nine kills and had just one error on 20 attempts for a .400 hitting percentage. Hutchison added four digs and three blocks. Middle blocker Bridget Wilhelm boasted a .462 hitting percentage and was right behind with eight kills. Defensively, Wilhelm added a season-high five digs and two blocks. Defensive specialist Sarah Mills played a big role in a holding the Zips to a .110 hitting percentage, as she finished the night with five digs and also had a service ace.
The victory improved Kent State to 18-9, which matches the win total from the senior class' first two seasons combined. The hard work and persistence of trio, along with student assistant Morgan Semmelhack, has resulted in the Flashes on the brink of history heading into the final match of the regular season.
Setters Katarina Kojic and Brittney Jakscht did a terrific job of setting to spots for teammates to put the ball away throughout the match and the Flashes hit .386 as a team, their highest mark since the first match of the season against Morgan State. Kojic recorded 29 assists and matcher her career-high with four aces, while Jakscht handed out six assists after late in the second set. Outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger joined Hutchison for the team lead with nine kills and middle blocker Drew Norberg posted eight kills with a .571 hitting percentage.
The Flashes also dominated play at the net defensively, as six players contributed to a season-best 13 blocks. Norberg led the way with a career-high seven blocks and outside hitter Lexi Mantas added a career-high four blocks. Libero Challen Geraghty led the floor defense with 11 digs.
Akron came out to spoil Senior Night and scoffed the first three points of the match. However, a kill by Hutchison put Kent State on the scoreboard. A 6-0 run a few points later erased the Zips' only lead of the night. Serving runs by Mills and Geraghty helped the Flashes pull away to take the opening set.
Kent State scored the first three points of the second set en route to a wire-to-wire victory. Unlike the first set when the roles were reversed, the Flashes prevented the Zips from making a run. In fact, the Zips scored back-to-back points just twice during the set. Kent State posted a .625 hitting percentage in the set, as Bittinger led the way with six kills on seven attempts.
Following an ace by Geraghty to start the third set, Akron got a kill to tie the score for just the second time all night. It was also the final tie. With the Flashes leading 19-15, Akron scored three straight points for the first time since the beginning of the match, but a kill by Wilhelm, a pair of aces from Kojic and a red card on the Akron bench ended the threat.
The Flashes set a new program record with their 12th Mid-American Conference win of the season and will seek more history when they host Buffalo at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. A win would clinch at least a share of the MAC East Division title and, paired with a Northern Illinois loss, would clinch a share of the MAC regular season title and top overall seed in next weekend's MAC Championship.
