Kent State University
2-2,0-0MAC
Army
4-1,0-0Patriot
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent St. | 12 | 20 | 17 | 0 |
| Army West Point | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Furuta Tallies Career-High 29 Digs as Flashes Open UTA Tournament
9/4/2026 10:26:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior Lesley Furuta totaled a career-high 29 digs against host UT Arlington, but Kent State lost both matches at the UTA Tournament on Friday. The Golden Flashes (2-3) fell to Army, 3-0, in the afternoon and then fell short of a reverse sweep against the Mavericks and lost 3-2.
Furuta now owns the best single-match digs performance among Mid-American Conference players this season and finished the day with 42 over the two matches.
Offensively, senior Mercedez Brown recorded a team-high 21 kills. Junior Nadia Miller and redshirt junior Adalynn Ginley added 12 kills and 11 kills, respectively.
Match 1: Army 3, Kent State 0 (12-25, 20-25, 17-25)
After struggling to get much going in the opening set, the Golden Flashes led 16-12 in the second after a Black Knight blocker was called for being in the net on an attack by Mercedez Brown. Army then rallied with an 8-1 run. Adalynn Ginley halted the run with a kill to get back within two, but the Flashes scored just two more points the rest of the set.
A 6-0 run in the third set cut Kent State's deficit in half, but the comeback effort came up short.
Nadia Miller led the Flashes with eight kills and a .368 hitting percentage. Mercedez Brown was right behind with seven kills and added a career-high nine digs. Christina Vigil totaled 23 assists and eight digs. Lesley Furuta had a team-high 13 digs.
Match 2: UT Arlington 3, Kent State 1 (16-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-20, 3-15)
The Flashes tried to spoil the Mavericks' home opener and grinded out a 25-23 victory in the third set to extend the match. Led by four blocks from Adalynn Ginley and seven digs from Lesley Furuta, Kent State held its host to a -.045 hitting percentage in the set.
Vanessa Imoh and Mercedez Brown combined for 12 kills in the fourth as the Flashes tied it at 2-2.
UT Arlington never trailed in the fifth, as Kent State was unable to score back-to-back points in the 15-3 setback.
Lesley Furuta tallied a career-high 29 digs and was perfect on 20 serve-receive chances to lead the Flashes on defense. Ginley totaled a season-high six blocks.
Brown led the attack with a season-high 14 kills and Imoh added 10.
Up Next for the Flashes
Kent State will finish weekend action in Arlington on Saturday against Sam Houston. First serve is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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