Kent State University
2-1
North Texas
3-0
Volleyball Loses Championship Match at North Texas Invitational
8/25/2018 5:42:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DENTON, Texas – Kent State dropped its first match of the 2018 volleyball season, falling 3-0 (17-25, 17-25, 14-25) to the hosts in Saturday's North Texas Invitational championship.
The Golden Flashes (2-1) and Mean Green (3-0) both earned a pair of 3-0 victories on Friday to setup a showdown between the tournament's two unbeaten teams. North Texas has now won 18 of 20 home matches the past two seasons.
"We didn't get the result we wanted today, but I thought the team had a good weekend overall, especially considering the circumstances," said head coach Don Gromala. "We were able to get a lot of new players some game experience. North Texas is really talented and would be a top tier team in the MAC, so it was good to face a team of that caliber this early in the year."
Kent State was unable to replicate its offensive performance from Friday, totaling just 23 kills to go with 23 attack errors for a .000 hitting percentage. Freshman Kathryn Ellison had a team-high seven kills with senior Darby Connors contributing six kills to lead the way.
"North Texas kind of put us on our heels with its service pressure, so we couldn't really run the offense the way we wanted to," Gromala added. "Our middles did a great job for us yesterday, but it was hard to get them involved with how tough they were serving.
The Flashes earned the first point of the match on a service error and it was tied 4-4 through the first eight points. North Texas rallied off five straight and Kent State was able to get within three multiple times, the last coming at 13-10. The hosts countered with a 5-1 run to gain separation and take the opening set, 25-17
A slow start to the second set saw the Flashes fall behind 8-2. The deficit reached seven points (11-4) when Connors sparked an 8-4 run to get within three. The outside hitter posted three kills and an ace to account for four of the first five points during the stretch. Leading 18-14, the Mean Green put the set away with a 7-3 run.
A competitive start to the third set included five ties and three lead changes, as North Texas held a narrow 13-12 lead. The Mean Green then closed the match on a 12-2 run, which included the final seven points, to capture the tournament title.
Defensively, freshman Erin Gardner led the Flashes with 10 digs. Ellison tallied seven digs. Connors, junior Myla King and freshman Danie Tyson recorded two total blocks apiece.
Sophomore Natalie Tagala had a team-high 11 assists and senior Sam Jones totaled nine assists.
Freshmen Kathryn Ellison and Danie Tyson were named to the all-tournament team. Ellison led Kent State with 30 kills (3.33 per set) and was second with 25 digs (2.78 per set). Tyson added 16 kills (1.78 per set) and was the team leader with eight total blocks and a .303 hitting percentage.
Kent State returns to campus for a four-match homestand beginning Tuesday when Youngstown State visits the M.A.C. Center for a 7 p.m. contest. The Flashes then welcome Morgan State, Niagara and Purdue Fort Wayne for the 2018 Golden Flashes Classic from Aug. 31-Sept. 1.
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
