Kent State University
4-2
Morgan State
2-5
Volleyball Earns Runner-Up Finish at Golden Flashes Classic
9/1/2018 11:03:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio – Kent State defeated Morgan State and Niagara on Saturday at the M.A.C. Center to finish second at the Golden Flashes Classic. The Golden Flashes earned a 3-1 (26-24, 25-18, 15-25, 25-21) win over Morgan State in the day's first match and then defeated Niagara in straight sets, 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-16).
"We are really happy with how the team responded after last night," said head coach Don Gromala. "I felt that we slowly got better throughout the day as we got comfortable with a new lineup. We had a really strong finish this evening, especially in our offensive execution."
Senior Darby Connors and freshman Danie Tyson were named to the all-tournament team. Connors was Kent State's top attacker on the day, finishing with 24 kills (3.43 per set) and a .316 hitting percentage. Tyson added 21 kills (3.00 per set) while hitting .500 and added six total blocks.
"Darby came out swinging in both matches and started out on fire," Gromala stated. "We've had some slower starts, so her having positive starts was good for the team to build off. Danie was solid again today with her ability to make really good decisions. She's moving the ball around and not just scoring by doing one thing."
As a team, the Flashes (5-2) posted a .266 hitting percentage over the two matches. Senior Amy Kober contributed 16 kills and hit at a .351 clip. Redshirt sophomore Alex Haffner recorded a team-high 47 assists.
Kent State limited its opponents to a .183 hitting percentage, averaging 15.0 digs per set and 2.29 blocks per set. Senior Sam Jones led the way with 27 digs and freshman Kathryn Ellison collected 21 digs. Sophomore Ezri Edwards and freshman Melissa Kolurbasi both had six blocks to share the team lead with Tyson.
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
