A .034 hitting percentage in the first set unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the night, as the Kent State volleyball team could not recover in their game against Ohio University Oct. 28, getting swept for the second time this season against the Bobcats.
The loss marked the team’s seventh in their last eight matches, marking rock bottom in a largely uncompetitive effort. Head Coach Haley Eckerman said a reset was a must after the match.
“I think our team needs to figure out our identity,” she said. “We struggled across the board and have to reset.”
The Flashes (8-17, 3-11) entered Tuesday’s contest having lost both matchups the previous weekend against Central Michigan, getting swept to end the weekend.
KSU used a kill from senior outside hitter and tone setter Mackenzie McGuire and two attack errors to grab a 3-0 lead in set one.
KSU wasn’t able to hold on to that lead for long, however, as OU eventually used a 4-0 run to grab a 6-5 lead.
The teams traded service aces to make it 7-7 before OU hunkered down and grabbed the lead with three kills and a service ace to take control. The Bobcats commanded a set win, allowing just four points the rest of the set, and won 25-13.
It was reminiscent of the second set the first time the teams met in Kent, where a competitive start turned into a drubbing that practically ended the night.
OU had 17 kills in the first set, nearly tripling the six that KSU had.
Desperately needing a good start to the next set to reset, the Flashes built a slim lead to start set two, using the junior setter Christina Vigil and McGuire connection that’s worked well all season to build a 6-4 lead. McGuire led the Flashes with 12 kills for the match, and Vigil added 26 assists to her team leading total.
Midway through the set, the teams traded runs to even things up at 12 apiece.
Late in the set, OU clung onto a small lead with KSU sophomore outside hitter Avrey Rigney, subbing in and getting a kill to keep it close. Still, the Bobcats would stamp out a comeback attempt and closed out the set 25-21.
After the intermission between set one and two, OU grabbed four of the first five points scored in set three.
Three straight OU errors allowed KSU to get back in it before, in a parallel to the second set, the teams traded runs to square the teams at 12-all.
OU eventually gained the lead and wouldn’t look back, taking the set pretty convincingly in the end with a 25-18 set three win and sweep.
When asked about what she told the team in the face of another loss, Eckerman tried to look ahead.
“We need to find our true identity and stick to it and show up every single day,” she said, adding a need to find and carry momentum into these last couple weekends of games.
Up next
The Flashes will travel to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the Western Michigan Broncos, who sit at 9-4 in conference play.
Stone O’Bryant is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].