Kent State University
12-10, 5-4MAC
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Western Michigan University
8-14, 3-6MAC
Bittinger’s Big Night Leads Kent State to Five-Set Victory Over Western Michigan
10/21/2016 10:48:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – Playing a fifth set for the third consecutive match, Kent State displayed grit and determination to pull out a 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 26-28, 15-10), victory over Western Michigan in front of the home fans Friday night at the M.A.C. Center. Junior Kelsey Bittinger led the way with 18 kills and a career-high 30 digs.
The Golden Flashes (12-10, 5-4 MAC) evened their record to 3-3 in five-set matches this season and move back above .500 in Mid-American Conference play.
"It's always good to get a win, especially when you are able to come out on top in a fifth set," said head coach Don Gromala. "We've played a lot of five-setters already this year, so we're comfortable being in that position. We came out and executed great offensively. I thought we made some really smart decisions. We were tough with our serve, which put some pressure on them. Then our defense started to make plays, and that caused them to make some mistakes attacking."
In a match that featured 48 ties and 24 lead changes, it was fitting that the squads alternated scoring the first 12 points in the fifth set. Senior Drew Norberg put Kent State on the board first with a kill. Sophomore Lexi Mantas delivered a kill and then teamed with freshman Annie Ennesser on a block to finally give the Flashes consecutive points and an 8-6 lead. Back-to-back kills by Bittinger and junior Heather Younkin gave the Flashes match point with a 14-9 lead. Western Michigan was able to extend the match with a kill, but only briefly, as Bittinger put the exclamation mark on a career night with a hard swing that found empty space to end the match.
Excellent passing helped the Flashes sideout in all 10 opportunities in the fifth set and led to a .500 hitting percentage. Bittinger led the way with four kills on six swings, while Mantas posted kills on all three of her attempts.
Kent State tied its season-best with 69 kills and posted a hitting percentage of .276, which is the highest against a MAC opponent. The Flashes had four players with double-digit kills for the first time this season, as Norberg (15 kills), Mantas (14 kills) and Younkin (12 kills) all joined Bittinger.
Defensively, the Flashes tallied a season-best 94 digs. Bittinger and junior Challen Geraghty (28 digs) combined for more than 50 digs for the second Friday in a row. The duo also helped Kent State control first contact by handling 63 of Western Michigan's 91 serves that landed in-play without any errors. Freshman Claire Tulisiak added 13 digs.
Kent State is back in action Saturday against first-place Northern Illinois. Admission is free for fans who show their ticket stub from the Kent State football game against Ohio, which is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff at Dix Stadium.
