Kent State University
17-9, 11-3MAC
Eastern Michigan University
12-15, 4-10MAC
Golden Flashes Stay Hot in Return to M.A.C. Center
11/7/2015 10:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – A dominant opening set by Kent State set the tone, as the Golden Flashes took care of Eastern Michigan, 3-1 (25-11, 19-25, 25-18, 25-20), in their return to the M.A.C. Center on Saturday.
With the victory Kent State (17-9, 11-3 MAC) has tied the 2007 team for the most Mid-American Conference wins in a season.
After falling behind 2-1 to start the night, Kent State put on a clinic en route to a 25-11 first set victory. An 8-1 run fueled by Eagle attack errors allowed the Flashes to take control. An Eastern Michigan kill out of a timeout was followed by a 9-2 Kent State run to lead to 18-6 and force the Eagles to call another timeout. The Flashes were able to extend the lead to as much as 15 before putting the set away. Kent State's blocking was excellent in the set with four stuffs that were part of 12 Eastern Michigan attack errors and a -.080 hitting percentage.
The second set saw a complete turnaround from the Eagles' offense, which posted 17 kills on 35 errorless swings for a .486 hitting percentage to tie the match at a set apiece heading into the intermission. In what was the most competitive set of the night with 11 ties and two lead changes, the teams split the first 24 points of the set before the Eagles scored four straight to take a 16-12 lead. Kent State was unable to get closer than four points the rest of the way.
Kent State emerged from the locker room refocused and never trailed the rest of the match. A pair of aces by junior Katarina Kojic helped the Flashes jump out to a 4-1 lead in the third set. After the Eagles pulled with 8-7, the Flashes gained separation with a 9-2 run. Kent State posted its best offensive set of the night with 18 kills and a .326 hitting percentage in addition to four aces.
The teams traded 5-1 runs for a 6-6 score to start the fourth set. Leading 10-9, Kent State used a 6-1 spurt to take control. Eastern Michigan made one final run to get within a point at 19-18, but Kojic made a heady play to dump the ball over the net and into a soft spot of the defense to start a 4-0 run. A few points later, senior Bridget Wilhelm slammed the door on the Eagles with her sixth kill of the set.
Kojic did a nice job of setting the ball to spots for her teammates to put away and finished with 55 assists. Kojic also had a match-high three service aces.
The Flashes were balanced offensively with four players recording 12 or more kills. Sophomore Kelsey Bittinger led the way with 15 kills, while senior Kelly Hutchison and Wilhelm added 13 kills apiece. Junior Drew Norberg added 12 kills. Wilhelm and Norberg committed just one error and combined for a .429 hitting percentage.
A terrific floor defense performance was once again led by sophomore Challen Geraghty, who tallied a match-high 24 digs. Bittinger recorded 19 digs and senior Sarah Mills had 16 digs for the second straight match.
Kent State will enter the final weekend of the regular season tied for first place in the MAC East and just one match out of first place in the overall standings. The Flashes are back in action at the M.A.C. Center next Friday against rival Akron at 5 p.m. and then host Buffalo at 3 p.m. on Saturday.
