With the new court inside the M.A.C. Center finished, the Kent State Volleyball team returned home for the first home contests of the season.
The Flashes dominated both matches, taking all but one set en route to winning both matches.
Overall, the Flashes showed both improved offensive numbers, but also a balanced attack and good defensive play.
Head Coach Haley Eckerman said being home was one of the many reasons the team was able to be successful this weekend.
“It was awesome just to be home and get to be in this gym,” she said. “I think the girls really needed that for a confidence boost.”
Friday against Buffalo
The Flashes opened up the weekend with a matchup against Buffalo where one team would be guaranteed their first conference win of the season, as both teams went 0-2 last week.
The first set started off with KSU and Buffalo going back and forth trading points to an 8-8 stalemate. The Flashes then went on a 4-1 run to take control of the set, including some incredible efforts from junior setter Christina Vigil.
Control of the set would last the rest of the way, as KSU cruised to a 25-16 set victory on a kill from junior outside hitter Mercedez Brown.
The Flashes played brilliantly offensively, hitting .375 for the set, showing some much needed improvement from the .075 hitting percentage they sported against Bowling Green.
KSU began the second set by riding the wave of momentum to a 6-2 start, getting contributions from sophomore middle backer Nadia Miller. After Buffalo fought back, Miller added her third kill of the set to continue her effective night. She finished with a .636 hitting percentage for the night.
The second was tied at 18-18 before KSU took control, winning seven of the final eight points to win the set, which included a service ace from sophomore Hailey Brenner and two kills from freshman outside hitter Macie Moreland, who found her way into the starting lineup during her first season.
On the verge of a sweep, the Flashes went for the kill early, dominating the start of the third set. The team jumped out to a 10-2 lead after getting multiple service aces from freshman defensive specialist and libero Catie Patterson, who shined this weekend in the service department.
By this stage of the match, the crowd was rocking, the team was celebrating and even coach Eckerman was getting hyped up with the players. KSU rolled the rest of the way after one last service ace from senior outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire to win the set and the match 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 25-12).
For the match, the team settled on a much improved .258 hitting percentage.
Eckerman had praise for the team’s performance.
“I think we did a good job at sticking to our keys,” she said.
Saturday against Akron
In the first of what will become many Wagon Wheel matchups for the two schools in the athletic year, KSU hosted the Zips in hopes of finishing a sweep of the weekend.
The Flashes rode momentum from Friday’s win into the match, starting off with quick kills from McGuire and Miller to jump ahead early in the set.
Building a 10-3 lead, Akron fell behind even more before settling in to give themselves a fighting chance in the set. Still, KSU closed out strong after a kill from Vigil to win the set 25-20.
Set two brought a more competitive effort from the get-go. While KSU led for the most part early on, Akron managed to take a 15-14 lead. On the bench during a timeout, Eckerman gave the team a talk.
“Going back to our basics,” she said. “Stick to our training,” was some of what she said.
The talk paid off, as the Flashes once again closed out strong, putting the team on the verge of a second-consecutive sweep.
Looking to close out the weekend six-for-six on set victories, KSU once again started strong to begin the set. The Zips, however, would not go down without a fight, fighting to claim the lead late in the set. The Flashes had a chance to tie the set late, but the play was overturned by a challenge. Akron won the set 25-22.
With Akron breaking serve and forcing a fourth set, KSU needed to rebound to avoid going to a fifth set. After Akron scored the first two points of the set it looked like the match could be headed in that direction.
The Flashes, however, took over completely in a matter similar to how the team closed out the match the night before against Buffalo. Using kills and errors from Akron, KSU built a 10-5 lead and never looked back.
Akron tried to make it a respectable set score, but the Flashes cruised to victory and a 3-1 win (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 25-19).
The win would even up the Flashes’ record in conference play to 2-2. KSU is 7-8 overall.
Vigil also eclipsed the 40-assist mark for the fifth time this season, continuing to run the offense well for the attackers.
Standouts
Miller had an extremely efficient weekend, making the most of her opportunities at kills. She set a season high with 12, and had a .533 hitting percentage for the weekend.
Redshirt sophomore middle backer Adalynn Ginley was similarly efficient in the attack game sporting a .571 hitting percentage against Akron. Where she shined best however was the blocking game, as she sported 14 total blocks this weekend and caused problems up front for opponents.
Up Next
KSU will wrap up its home stand with a contest against Ohio Tuesday at 6 p.m. OU is currently 2-14 on the season and winless in conference play at 0-4.
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].