To wrap up non-conference play, the Kent State volleyball team split a pair of games against Cleveland State Thursday and Youngstown State Friday.
Thursday against Cleveland State
Despite getting swept against the Vikings, senior outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire continued to shine.
She had 15 kills during the match and added 13 digs for a double-double. It was her third of the season. Junior setter Christina Vigil also impressed with 35 assists and 12 digs for a double-double of her own.
The rest of the offense struggled as the team averaged a minuscule .094 hitting percentage for the match.
“I think we kind of walked in a little bit with Cleveland State,” coach Haley Eckerman said. “Knowing that they haven’t played great this season so far, and kind of took that as we don’t have to play our offense.”
In the first set, KSU allowed two instances of giving up four consecutive points before scoring five unanswered to knot the set at 14-all.
The Vikings pulled away to win set one 25-21 on a kill from senior outside hitter Laken Voss, who led Cleveland State with 11.
Set two brought even more misfortune for the Flashes. Plagued in part by 10 errors during the set, the team allowed two 5-0 runs, including one that finished off the set 25-17.
Staring down the dreaded brooms, KSU had one last shot to try and put together a set victory.
The team got off to a poor start with two service aces going the Vikings’ way and fell 4-0 quickly.
KSU fought back, but CSU stifled most rallies before the Flashes could earn a lead.
The match ended with a Cleveland State 5-0 run, as the Flashes were swept in three sets. (25-21, 25-17, 25-20).
Friday against Youngstown State
Facing a match point during the fifth set, KSU rattled off four straight points to steal a victory.
Before getting to that stage, the Flashes traded sets with the Penguins.
KSU got a quick start to the match, as the team opened up with a 3-1 lead in the first set. After maintaining that lead for most of the set, the Flashes went on a 5-0 run to be in firm control.
Eventually, the team finished off the set with a kill from Vigil.
Youngstown State flipped the script in the second set. Jumping out to a 5-0 lead to start. KSU attempted to regain control, but YSU maintained its dominance.
Youngstown pulled away to win the set 25-19.
KSU jumped out to a 6-1 lead in set three and wouldn’t look back, reaching 20 points before YSU reached 10.
Youngstown, however, wouldn’t back down without a fight. Despite eventually losing the set, the team rallied to cut the lead to 23-20. The Flashes were able to finish off the set 25-21.
Set four provided a flip of the third set script. KSU allowed nearly 20 points before getting to 10. The Flashes fought back to make it respectable before falling 25-20.
The tie-breaking set was back-and-forth to start before Youngstown State reached game point. The Flashes were able to rally and secure a set victory to win the match 3-2 (25-19,19-25, 25-21, 20-25, 16-14). McGuire delivered the game-winning kill, Vigil provided the assist.
“The fact that we not only went to a fifth set, but also fought off all those game points, it shows us how good we can be if we play together,” Eckerman said.
Notables
McGuire should enter the top 10 for all-time kills in the coming weeks. She currently sits at 11th with 1098 kills. Beyond that, her leadership has shone this season, particularly in the Cleveland State match.
“I think she did a great job of trying to get people going,” Eckerman said.
Around the MAC
With this being the final weekend of non-conference play for the Flashes, the team will take the court for conference play Thursday against Toledo.
Here is how the Mid-American Conference is looking, and how the Flashes compare to the competition.
KSU is 5-6 on the season, which is in the middle of the pack for the conference. Eastern Michigan and Toledo have the most wins with eight, but Northern Illinois has a higher winning percentage.
Statistically, KSU is towards the middle of the pack in most stats per set, but the team ranks second in solo blocks with 31.
Individually, Vigil leads the conference with 9.43 assists per set, and McGuire leads in kills per set with a little over 4.3. She also holds the lead in points per set at 4.87, just .01 ahead of second place.
Sophomore defensive specialist and outside hitter Hailey Brenner ranks in the top ten in service aces per set.
Heading into conference play, Eckerman hopes the team will learn how to win conference games and hopefully secure a spot in the tournament.
“The biggest thing for us is that I’d love to get into the tournament,” she said. “I want them to feel what it’s like to win in the MAC.”
Up next
KSU will travel to Toledo Thursday to open up conference play before finishing the week at Bowling Green. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
