Kent State University
Butler
Kent State Volleyball Hosts Golden Flashes Classic for ESPN3 Debut
9/8/2017 8:01:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio —Parents and Families Weekend is full of firsts for the Kent State volleyball team, which opens its host schedule with the Golden Flashes Classic. The Golden Flashes will be the first team to play a regular season contest on the new M.A.C. Center floor that was installed this past summer, and Friday's match will be Kent State Athletics' first ESPN3 broadcast.
Kent State (1-5) takes on Butler in a 6 p.m. match Friday and concludes the weekend Sunday against College of Charleston at 12 p.m. The Bulldogs and Cougars will play each other at 4 p.m. Saturday.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 8
6 p.m.   Kent State vs. Butler – Live Stats • Video
Saturday, Sept. 9
4 p.m. Butler vs. College of Charleston – Live Stats
Saturday, Sept. 10
12 p.m.   Kent State vs. College of Charleston – Live Stats  •  Video
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State lost a trio of three-setters last weekend at the Cardinal Classic in Louisville, Kentucky. The Golden Flashes had a strong performance in the opening set of the tournament and were within 23-22 against a strong Illinois team before dropping the set, 25-23, and struggling the rest of the way.
Offensively, the Flashes averaged just 8.89 kills per set and had a .044 hitting percentage compared to 13.56 kills per set and a .294 hitting percentage for their opponents. They were also outblocked 28-6.
Senior libero and Louisville native Challen Geraghty was named to the All-Tournament Team after leading floor defense with 44 digs (5.44/set).Â
Senior outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger posting a team-high 27 kills (3.00/set) and was second on the team in digs (22). Senior opposite Heather Younkin (14) and freshman middle blocker Naomi Oberg (13) also tallied double-digit kills.
Freshman Natalie Tagala and senior Brittney Jakscht both saw action at setter. Tagala led the way with 45 assists (5.00/set) and Jakscht had 23 assists (3.83/set).
Sophomore middle blocker Myla King was sidelined for the first two matches of the weekend before posting seven kills vs. No. 24 WKU to match her career high on a .455 hitting percentage. Oberg also had seven kills to set a new career-high and hit .583 in the match.
KSU ATHLETICS DEBUTS ON ESPN3
Kent State University will make its ESPN3 debut this Friday and Sunday with the Golden Flashes volleyball team and its action-packed tournament in the M.A.C. Center.
The initial broadcast will feature Kent State taking on Butler Friday at 6 p.m. Ty Linder, the longtime "Voice of the Golden Flashes" will be joined by Kent State Volleyball alumna Bridget Wilhelm, who will provide color commentary. Sunday's match against College of Charleston (12 p.m.) will also be shown live on ESPN3.
Kent State Athletics will produce ESPN3 broadcasts for all home volleyball, men's basketball and women's basketball games that are not selected for national broadcasts during the 2017-18 academic year. Select gymnastics and wrestling meets will also be featured.
The online broadcasts will provide significant national exposure of Kent State Athletics, as well as learning opportunities for KSU students. As part of a partnership with College of Communication and Information, students will assist with each aspect of the ESPN3 production.
SCOUTING BUTLER
Despite an injury that has sidelined All-American outside hitter Anna Logan, Butler has started the season with a 5-2 mark. The Bulldogs were picked second in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll, behind only No. 9 Creighton. They won the first three matches of its home tournament to start the season before falling to Eastern Michigan (3-1) and at No. 19 Michigan (3-0). Butler then defeated Green Bay (3-0) and New Hampshire (3-1) on Saturday with outside hitter Whitney Beck and libero Taylor Takeda being named to the Michigan Invite All-Tournament Team.
Butler's strong net defense has been the team's strength early in the year. The Bulldogs boast the third-most blocks (82.0) in NCAA Division I while ranking 13th nationally in blocks per set (3.04) and second in the BIG EAST in opponent hitting percentage (0.169). In a five-set victory against Robert Morris, the Bulldogs recorded a national-best 20.5 total blocks, which is the fourth-highest total in school history. Middle blocker Rachel Klitzing's 14 total blocks in the contest are one off the national lead this season. The freshman leads the BIG EAST at 1.41 blocks per set. Middle blocker Bri Lilly, who did not see action in the first three matches of the season, is averaging 1.50 blocks per set and has a team-high eight solo stuffs.
Outside hitter Whitney Beck has stepped up in Logan's replacement to lead the offense. Beck has posted 4.48 points per set and 3.81 kills per set, ranking third and fourth in the BIG EAST, respectively. Beck is second on the team in digs per set (3.56) and has recorded a double-double in all seven matches. Setter Makayla Ferguson averages 9.67 assists per set. Ferguson ranks 12th among active NCAA Division I players with 3,579 career assists.
SCOUTING COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
The Cougars were voted as the favorite to win the 2017 regular season championship with six of nine first-place votes in the Colonial Athletic Association preseason poll and earned a thrilling five-set victory against a talented Baylor squad in its last match to enter the weekend at 6-2. Both of The College's losses came at the hands of a 2016 NCAA Tournament participant (Denver and Washington State).
CofC's high-powered attack ranks 26th in the country at 14.32 kills per set and features four players with at least 64 kills on the season. Ohio natives Lauren Freed (Troy, Ohio) and Kristen Mummey (Hudson, Ohio) both have 92 kills (3.29/set) on the season to share the team lead. Middle blocker Kennedy Madison has posted 69 kills (2.46/set) and outside hitter Devon Rachel (3.37 kills/set) has 64 kills in 19 sets. Setter Allison Beckman ranks 36th nationally with 11.04 assists per set.
The Cougars are 59th in the country in digs per set (16.50) and their 78 digs in the season opener vs. USC Upstate are tied for the most in a three-setter this season. Libero McKala Rhodes averages a team-best 4.50 digs per set and is one of four players with at least 64 digs. The College ranks second in the CAA in blocks per set (2.11) and Mummey's 30 total blocks (1.07/set) lead the way.
ALL-TIME VS. OPPONENTSÂ
Kent State is 3-4 all-time against the tournament field.
The Golden Flashes defeated College of Charleston, 3-2 (15-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 15-8) in Charleston during the only previous meeting between the schools on opening weekend of the 2014 season. Current Kent State seniors Kelsey Bittinger (11 kills, 12 digs), Challen Geraghty (14 digs) and Brittney Jakscht (33 assists) all played key roles in the victory.
Kent State is 2-4 all-time against Butler with the Bulldogs winning the last matchup, 3-0, in 2012. The Flashes are 1-1 in meetings at the M.A.C. Center, including a 3-2 victory most recently in 2009. Kent State also won the first ever matchup, 3-0, in a contest played in Louisville, Kentucky.
UP NEXT
Kent State heads to Rochester, Michigan to conclude non-conference play at the Golden Grizzlies Invitational, hosted by Oakland University.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
