Kent State University
5-20 (3-11MAC)
Bowling Green
15-10 (11-3MAC)
Volleyball Pushes First-Place Falcons to Five Sets on the Road
11/4/2017 11:16:00โฏPM | Women's Volleyball
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio โ Kent State pushed first-place Bowling Green to the limit in a 3-2 (18-25, 25-20, 19-25, 25-14, 9-15) setback on Saturday at the Stroh Center. The Golden Flashes are now 2-2 in five-setters this season, while the Falcons move to 4-4.
Kent State (5-20, 3-11 MAC) played one of its best defensive matches of the season, totaling a season-best 14 blocks and collecting 12 more digs (107-95) than a BG team that entered the weekend fourth in the nation in digs per set. The Flashes held the Falcons to a .103 hitting percentage, which is BG's lowest mark in a Mid-American Conference match this year.
Senior Challen Geraghty led the floor defense with 39 digs, which is the fourth-most in Kent State history, to match her career-high. Geraghty collected at least nine digs in three of the five sets. Sophomore Myla King was a force at the net with a season-high eight total blocks.
"It was an unfortunate result, but I liked how the team fought and battled tonight," said head coach Don Gromala. "Hitters swung hard, but the defense was playing really hard on both sides. It's the second time around in the division, so teams know their opponent a little better and how to defend them. Challen played a really smart match tonight, and our block did a really good job of working hard to close blocks. We got a lot of touches to slow swings, and she did a really good job of keeping those balls in play."
After hitting just .056 through the first four sets, Bowling Green posted 11 kills without any errors on 23 attempts and was a perfect 10-for-10 on side-outs in the final set to come away victorious.
"It came down to fifth, and we haven't been in that position many times this year," noted Gromala. "You have to be playing well at that point, and we closed strong in the fourth. But BG had its best passing set at the right time and had 11 kills and no errors."
Senior Kelsey Bittinger and freshman Natalie Tagala both stuffed the stat sheet and finished with a double-double. Bittinger led all players with 19 kills to go with 13 digs, three blocks and an ace for 22 points. Tagala totaled 42 assists, 16 digs, a career-high four blocks, three kills and an ace.ย
Sophomore Claire Tulisiak led the Flashes with two aces and contributed 15 digs, including four in the fifth to lead all players. Junior Lexi Mantas struggled as an attacker with eight kills and eight errors on 48 attempts, but made solid contributions on defense with 11 digs and a career-high four total blocks.
Senior Heather Younkin bounced back from a tough match on Friday with 11 kills.ย King added seven kills and finished with 11.5 points.
Kent State closes out the season with a trip to Ohio on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then will celebrate the five-member senior class following Saturday's 5 p.m. match against Eastern Michigan at the M.A.C. Center.
