Kent State University
0-1
Iowa State
1-0
Volleyball Battles Iowa State in Season-Opening Setback
8/25/2017 11:01:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
AMES, Iowa – Kent State put together a solid defensive performance in a 3-0 loss (19-25, 23-25, 18-25) to Iowa State in the 2017 season opener Friday night at the Cyclone Invitational.
The Golden Flashes held a Cyclones squad featuring four All-Big 12 players in its front row to a .182 hitting percentage. However, Kent State was only able to manage a .080 hitting percentage of its own.
"I think we battled tonight, but it wasn't enough," said head coach Don Gromala. "We weren't able to sustain a high level of play for long stretches. Our defense was solid as usual, and I really liked how our block performed overall against a physical team like Iowa State. But we have to pick it up offensively in order to compete with a team of that caliber. We have to be able to side out and convert 1-on-1 scoring opportunities at a much higher rate."
Senior Challen Geraghty led the way with 16 digs and has now tallied double-figures in 60 consecutive matches dating back to the 2015 season opener. Sophomore Myla King had a team-high five blocks.
Kent State scored the first point of the night before quickly falling behind, 4-1. After tying the score at 7-7, the Flashes saw Iowa State take command of the set with an 11-3 run. Facing a 22-14 deficit, senior Brittney Jakscht ignited a one more run with back-to-back kills. Kent State took five of seven points before falling, 25-19.
The Flashes led nearly the entire second set before allowing an opportunity to even the match slip away. Kent State led 3-0 to start the second set on three Iowa State attack errors. That lead reached as many as four on two occasions. A kill by senior Kelsey Bittinger gave the Flashes a 22-19 advantage, but the Cyclones scored three straight for the seventh tie of the set. After a timeout, Jakscht and King combined for a crucial block to go ahead, 23-22. The hosts then answered with three straight kills to win the set.
"I'm really proud of how we responded after that first set," Gromala said. "We were able to hold off multiple runs during the second set, but just didn't find a way to side out late during those crucial moments."
Kent State scored the opening point for the third straight set and held an early 5-4 lead before Iowa State responded with a 10-5 run to go ahead for good. The Flashes got within two points at 20-18 following a late 5-2 run, but the hosts won the final five points to close it out.
The Flashes locked down Iowa State's starting outside hitters, who combined for 10 kills and a -.022 hitting percentage. All-American Jess Schaben was held to just five kills with six errors on 25 swings.
"Our game plan going in was to key on their outsides because we knew they were both returning and are players who can terminate the ball, whether it's a good pass or bad pass," noted Gromala. "We just didn't make enough adjustments to slow down their middles and rest side, who are big, physical kids."
Bittinger led the offense with 10 kills and moved ahead of Jen Dreyer (1999-02) to for ninth on Kent State's career kills list (1,117).
Jakscht recorded 22 assists and moved ahead of Nancy Winkler (1988-90) to for 10th on Kent State's career assists list (1,488).
Kent State concludes opening weekend with two matches Saturday at the Cyclone Invitational. The Flashes will play New Mexico at 11 a.m. ET and Omaha at 5 p.m. ET. New Mexico defeated Omaha, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-20) in Friday's first match.
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
