Kent State University
4-0,4-0MAC
Buffalo
0-6,0-6MAC
Volleyball Sweeps Buffalo for First 4-0 MAC Start
2/5/2021 5:37:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Kent State volleyball team did not trail until the third set and finished with a season-best .337 hitting percentage to beat Buffalo 3-0 (25-14, 25-19, 25-17) for the second day in a row.
The Golden Flashes prevented the Bulls from reaching the 20-point mark in all six sets of the two-match series and posted a hitting percentage above .320 in all three sets on Friday while improving to 4-0 to start the Mid-American Conference season for the first time in program history.
Sophomore Taylor Heberle led the match with 15 points on 11 kills and a career-high four aces while posting a career-best .529 hitting percentage. Sophomore Savannah Matthews also had double-digit kills with 12 and junior Melissa Kolurbasi added eight kills. Redshirt junior Alex Haffner finished with 29 assists, eight digs, three kills and one block assist.
Kent State's defense played at a high level once again, limiting Buffalo's attack to a .092 percentage. Junior Lana Strejcek had a season-high six blocks (two solo, four assists) and junior Erin Gardner led the back row with nine digs.
Melissa Kolurbasi opened the match with a kill from the pin. Buffalo tied it at 1-1 before Kent State scored four straight points to take the lead for good. A 9-2 run gave the Flashes their largest lead at 22-9 and Kolurbasi delivered her fourth kill of the set for a 25-14 victory.
Kent State stormed out to a 7-0 lead in the second set. Leading by five, Heberle had three aces as part of another seven-point run to extend it to 21-9. The Bulls responded with a 10-3 run of their own before Jacqlyn Caspers put the set away, 25-19, with a kill.
For the second night in a row, the third set was the match's most competitive. Tied 14-14, strong serving by Alex Haffner put pressure on Buffalo and resulted in four errors as part of a 6-0 run. Taylor Heberle sealed the sweep with a strong swing to end the set, 25-17.
The Flashes will host rival Akron for the spring 2021 home opener inside of the Basketball and Volleyball Development Center on Thursday, February 11 and Friday, February 12.
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
