Kent State University
2-1
Stony Brook University
1-2
Golden Flashes Defeat Stony Brook, 3-1, to Conclude Opening Weekend at UCF Invite
8/27/2016 4:09:00โฏPM | Women's Volleyball
Box Score (pdf)ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย
ORLANDO, Fla. โ Kent State used big runs to put away the final two sets against a scrappy Stony Brook team in a 3-1 (25-17, 15-25, 25-22, 25-20) win Saturday morning at the Holiday Inn Orlando East/UCF Invitational to improve to 2-1 on the young season.
Each team took one of the first two sets fairly easily, as they featured just seven ties and two lead changes. The Golden Flashes' attackers hit on all cylinders in the opening set with 17 kills while hitting at a .351 clip. However, the Seawolves fought back in the second set and closed on a 10-2 run to even the match.
The final two sets were much more competitive with 18 ties and 12 lead changes. Kent State trailed by as many as six points in the third set, but a 5-0 run cut it to a point and a 9-3 run later on finished the set to regain the lead, 2-1. The Flashes scored the final three points in the fourth as part of an 11-5 run to earn the victory.
"It's great to get the win, but I don't know if we're ecstatic with how we played," said head coach Don Gromala. "In first set, we came out and had a big win scoring-wise, but I think a lot of that was on their end. We caught them off guard with our pressure with the serve and executed pretty well. In set two, they picked up their level of play and made some smart decisions at the net. After that, it was a dogfight, and it was great to see these ladies find a way to come out on top."
Kent State led in nearly every statistical category, including points (68-58), kills (53-41), hitting percentage (.176-.123), assists (46-34) and blocks (8-6). Stony Brook held a 10-7 advantage in aces and a slim 75-73 lead in digs, which was partially due to the Flashes attempting 19 more attacks.
Junior Challen Geraghty had a match-high 24 digs to lead another terrific defensive performance. Geraghty also impacted the game with her serving and had a career-high four aces.
"Challen served great for us today," Gromala said. "She's always been a great server, but in this match in particular, she really did a great job of locating her serve and mixing it up a little bit."
Freshman Myla King led Kent State in blocks for the second time in as many appearances over the weekend with five stuffs. King added a career-best six kills.
"Myla is long and quick and has been a welcome addition," Gromala said of the freshman who led Kent State with nine blocks on the weekend. "She's not just blocking the ball down, but she's taking away some areas and making other teams be weary of her presence and change up their shots as well."
The versatility of juniors Kelsey Bittinger and Heather Younkin was on display, as each recorded a double-double in the victory. Bittinger led all players with 14 kills and tallied 16 digs. Younkin added 13 kills on just 27 attempts to go with a career-high 11 digs for her first career double-double.
"Heather wasn't much of a factor against UCF last night, but she bounced back in a big way today," said Gromala. "She got some big touches and really came on in the fourth set and put some balls away when she had one-on-one opportunities."
After providing a lift off the bench Friday evening against UCF, redshirt freshman Darby Connors posted a career-high nine kills in her first starting assignment.
"Darby was a little up and down compared to last night, when she came off the bench and provided some good energy," noted Gromala. "Today, she kept that same energy on the court and provided a steadiness factor. Even though she had a bit of a tough fourth set, she came up with a big kill that stopped their run and got a block that tied the set and allowed us to go ahead."
Senior Katarina Kojic got the starting nod at setter and had 21 assists and six digs. Junior Brittney Jakscht contributed 18 assists and four kills off the bench. ย
Bittinger and Younkin were named to the all-tournament team for their performances over the weekend. Bittinger led Kent State in points (51; 4.25/set), kills (45; 3.75/set) and hitting percentage (.260) and was second in digs (31; 2.58/set) and aces (3). Younkin was second on the team in points (38; 3.17/set), kills (35; 2.92/set) and hitting percentage (.256).
Kent State will head back to the M.A.C. Center to open itsย home schedule with three matches as part of the Golden Flashes Classic next weekend (Sept. 2-3). Ace Season Flex Passes are on sale and can be purchased for just $35. Call the Kent State Ticket Office at 330-672-2244 to order or for more information. ย
