Kent State University
Ball State
KSU Volleyball Hosts Ball State to Start MAC Season
9/23/2021 4:24:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Kent State remains at the M.A.C. Center for the opening weekend of the Mid-American Conference season and will host Ball State for a pair of matches.
The Golden Flashes (5-7) and Cardinals will battle on Friday at 6 p.m. and return to the court at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Both matches will be streamed on BoxCast.
Kent State wrapped up non-conference play this past weekend by splitting matches against Youngstown State (3-1) and Duquesne (2-3) as part of the Golden Flashes Invitational. Middle blocker Ainsley Guse was dominant against the Penguins with a match-high 13 kills on 16 attempts for an .812 hitting percentage, which is the best by a Flash in 25 years. Opposite Melissa Kolurbasi led all players with 19 kills against the Dukes on Saturday, which matches the most by a Flash attacker this season.
Freshman Ainsley Guse and senior Danie Tyson have provided strong play at the net and helped Kent State average a MAC-best 2.30 blocks per set. Guse is third in the conference with 1.00 block per set and Tyson adds 0.96 blocks per set to rank fifth. Offensively, the duo is combining for nearly four kills per set while ranking in the top-10 in the MAC in hitting percentage. Guse's .375 clip ranks second and Tyson is ninth with a .328 hitting percentage.
Three additional Flashes have totaled more than 80 kills this season as part of a balanced attack. Outside hitter Savannah Matthews ranks in the top-10 in the league in both points (3.52) and kills (3.05) per set. Opposite Melissa Kolurbasi is averaging a career-best 2.57 kills per set and opposite Morgan Copley adds 1.87 kills per set.
Setter Alex Haffner is fifth in the league with an average of 9.87 assists per set and adds 2.26 digs per set. Haffner leads Kent State with 12 service aces and five double-doubles.
Defensive specialist/libero Bryn Roberts is tallying a team-high 4.09 digs per set, which ranks fifth in the MAC. Roberts is averaging 5.04 digs per set over the last six
SCOUTING BALL STATE
The Cardinals enter with a MAC-best record of 10-2 following a two-match sweep of Northern Kentucky last weekend. Ball State's only losses are against Power Five members Iowa State (1-3) and Syracuse (0-3).
Setter Megan Wielonski has made an immediate impact as a freshman, ranking third in the MAC in assists per set (10.20) and second in service aces (19) while helping the Cardinals own the second-highest team hitting percentage (.238). Four Ball State players are posting more than two kills per set, with outside hitter/opposite Natalie Mitchem's 2.80 leading the way. Outside hitter Jaclyn Buhlman, a graduate transfer from Valparaiso, is right behind with 2.78 kills per set. Middle blocker Marie Plitt averages 2.13 kills per set and a .329 hitting percentage, while outside hitter/opposite Emily Hollowell, a graduate transfer from Illinois, adds 2.08 kills per set. Libero Kate Vinson ranks fifth in the conference with 4.02 digs per set.
SERIES HISTORY
Kent State is 17-40 all-time against Ball State. The Golden Flashes have had success in recent seasons with wins in six of the past eight matches, including a pair of victories in Muncie last season. Head coach Don Gromala is 6-5 against the Cardinals with six of the contests going five sets.
UP NEXT
Kent State is scheduled for its first road MAC weekend at Toledo on Oct. 1-2.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Be sure to follow Kent State Volleyball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
