Kent State University
9-9 (2-3MAC)
Ohio University
8-9 (4-1MAC)
Flashes Fall in Four to Bobcats
10/7/2016 8:29:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
ATHENS, Ohio — Kent State played even with host Ohio for the first two sets Thursday night at the Convocation Center before losing, 3-1 (21-25, 25-21, 22-25, 16-25).
The Golden Flashes (9-9, 2-3 MAC) have lost three straight on the road after opening Mid-American Conference play with home victories over Buffalo and Akron.
Junior Kelsey Bittinger had a match-high 17 digs and led Kent State with 14 kills to record her fourth double-double in five conference matches. Senior Drew Norberg matcher her career-high and led all players with seven blocks and joined Bittinger in double-figures with 11 kills. Senior Katarina Kojic had 38 assists, as the Flashes totaled 45 kills on the night. Defensively, junior Challen Geraghty chipped in 16 digs.
The teams battled back-and-forth in the opening points of the match before Ohio used a five-point run to take the lead for good, 15-10. Kent State fought back and scored four straight to get within a point, 17-16, but that was as close as the set would get. A pair of kills sandwiched around an ace gave the Bobcats a 24-19 lead. While the Flashes were able to fight off two set points, Ohio got a block to strike first, 25-21.
Ohio led briefly in the second set, 14-13, but Kent State responded with five straight points to take control of the set. The run started with back-to-back attack errors by the Bobcats, and junior Heather Younkin, freshman Myla King and sophomore Lexi Mantas followed with kills to put the Flashes in command. An ace by Mantas gave Kent State its largest lead of the night, 23-17, and Bittinger made it a tied match heading into the intermission with a kill to give the set, to the Flashes, 25-21.
Kent State found itself down 8-3 after a sluggish start to the third set, but came right back to tie it, 8-8. Back-to-back kills by Bittinger and Younkin put the Flashes in the lead, 14-13, but Ohio scored the next three points to go back in front. Kent State came back again to tie it, 21-21, but Ohio scored four of the next five points to win the set, 25-22.
The Flashes once again faced an 8-3 deficit in the fourth, but it was too much to overcome this time. Kent State was unable to get closer than four points the rest of the set and trailed by as many as nine points in a 25-16 loss.
Kent State returns to the M.A.C. Center for the first time since the opening weekend of MAC play on Saturday to host the annual 'Dig for the Cure' match vs. Central Michigan at 6 p.m.
