Kent State University
Ball State University
Golden Flashes Seek First NCAA Bid at 2015 MAC Volleyball Championship
11/20/2015 11:38:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
2015 MAC Volleyball Championship Central
Bracket (PDF)
The Kent State volleyball team will look to write another chapter in what has been a historic 2015 season when it begins play at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio. After capturing a share of the first MAC East Division championship in program history, the Golden Flashes will begin their quest for their first conference tournament crown Friday night in a quarterfinal match against Ball State at 7:30 p.m.
Fourth-year head coach Don Gromala hopes his team is peaking as the postseason begins. Kent State (19-9, 13-3 MAC) won its final five matches of the regular season and 12 of the final 13 matches overall. 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. A year ago, there were a few modifications to the tournament format from previous seasons.
The most notable change was the bracket setup. The conference's top two seeds earn a bye to the semifinals, which will be played on Saturday. The No. 3 and No. 4 seeds earn a bye to the quarterfinals, which will be played on Friday. 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. For the second year in a row, the tournament is being played at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
FOLLOW THE #MACTION
All matches from the 2015 MAC Volleyball Championship will be streamed live on the conference website. Fans can also follow each match courtesy of live stats with links available on the MAC Championship central page.
All of Kent State's matches will be broadcast on the Golden Flashes iHeart Radio station.
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.
Head coach Don Gromala led Kent State back to the tournament in 2013 after a two-year hiatus and lost to top-seeded Ohio, 3-0 (21-25, 23-25, 19-25). A year ago, the Flashes earned a 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-22) win over No. 6 Eastern Michigan in the first round before falling to No. 3 Miami, 3-0 (18-25, 17-25, 18-25), in the quarterfinals. Eight players on this year's roster saw action in last year's tournament. Kelsey Bittinger had 14 kills to lead the group of returners and added 32 digs on the defensive end. Bridget Wilhelm added 13 kills and Kelly Hutchison had six kills prior to being injured in the first match. Brittney Jakscht led the offense with 73 assists. Challen Geraghty tallied 48 digs, including a career-high 39 vs. Eastern Michigan.
AWARDS SEASON
Kent State led all conference schools with five All-MAC selections when the MAC postseason honors were released on Thursday (Nov. 19). Sophomore Challen Geraghty was named Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to receive an MAC specialty award. Geraghty was joined on the All-MAC First Team by sophomore Kelsey Bittinger, senior Kelly Hutchison and junior Katarina Kojic. Senior Bridget Wilhelm received All-MAC Honorable Mention recognition.
UP NEXT
The winner of Friday's quarterfinal match will advance to Saturday's second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. against No. 2 Ohio. Sunday's championship match is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast live ESPN3 and delayed on Time Warner Cable SportsChannel at 10:30 p.m.
