The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
SIU Edwardsville
Volleyball stifles Binghamton, SIUE on first day of Zips Invitational
September 07 | Women's Volleyball
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AKRON, Ohio – Akron fought back from an 0-2 deficit for the first time since 2010 to win its first five-set match of the year in the nightcap of the Zips Invitational on Friday, defeating Binghamton 3-2. Earlier in the day, the Zips dealt Southern Illinois Edwardsville a 3-0 shutout to bring their record back to .500 at 4-4 on the year.
The two unbeaten teams in this tournament will go head-to-head Saturday afternoon when UA extends the challenge to Youngstown State at 2:00 p.m. at James A. Rhodes Arena.
Akron 3, Southern Illinois Edwardsville 0
The Cougars did not give Akron any real problems in the first match of the doubleheader, as the Zips handled their business in three sets, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21. UA came out hot right away, out-hitting SIUE .290 to .029 in the first period to set the tone for the rest of the match.
Tina Dimitrijevs gave the opponents a hint of what was to come, tallying 13 kills and only posting two errors in 17 attempts for a match-high .647 attack percentage. Chelsea Harvey led both teams with 14 kills, just one short of her career high. After missing last weekend due to injury, Alex Cocklin's return to the floor Friday made the Zips look even sharper – she knocked down eight kills in the afternoon showing.
The second set was when Akron proved its domination, hitting .517 as a team and never relinquishing its early lead. Three out of the four Akron wins this season have come when the Zips are up two sets to none.
SIUE made a statement in the middle of the third, stringing together a 4-0 run to tie the score at 15. A Dimitrijevs kill gave Akron back the lead and the Zips forged on from there, only forfeiting match point once before Mary Delich locked it away with one of her six kills.
Defense was a big key for the Zips in the first match. Akron out-dug SIUE by a 53-38 margin, led by Jill Paluch with 16, in addition to its six blocks, headlined by Paiton Twitty's three solo stuffs.
Akron 3, Binghamton 2
A grudge match at its very finest, the Zips protected their home floor and walked away the victors in their first five-set contest of 2012, with set scores of 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-13, 16-14. The win marked the first time that Akron came back from being down two sets to none since Nov. 5, 2010, when the Zips beat crosstown rival Kent State.
Both teams entered the match playing slow and looking sluggish – Binghamton also took Youngstown State to five sets in its first match of the day.
Akron had trouble coming up with answers to the Bearcats' plan of attack in the first two sets. Although the Zips managed to keep it interesting until the end, even tying the score at 22 in the first set, there was still something missing.
Whatever that missing piece was, the Zips found it in a hurry during the break, because they came out blazing and looked like a team on a mission at the start of the third set. With the score tied at eight, Akron scored five unanswered points to take a 13-8 lead and force Binghamton to take a timeout.
UA continued to chip away and increase its lead, finally scoring on five out of the last eight plays to win the set and stay alive. Harvey, who struggled mightily in the first two sets, turned her game around completely and was 7-for-10 hitting with zero errors in the third set.
The Zips built an early lead in the fourth set, supplemented by a big service ace from freshman Kelsey Wilson to make the score 9-4 Akron, and cause another BU timeout.
If there was a turning point in the fourth set though, it was the play immediately after that timeout when senior outside hitter Janine Lawler summoned a solo block so powerful it caused a physical momentum shift in the Zips favor. BU could not muster a comeback and Akron rolled on to win the set and extend the match to the fifth and final period.
The Bearcats all but shut down the Zips to start the fifth, and it looked like Akron's hopes of a five-set win were fading when Binghamton took an 11-6 lead on a UA error. But Dimitrijevs lit the match that started the fire, and delivered two of her seven blocks amidst a 4-0 Akron run to bring the Zips within one at 11-10.
The two teams traded points from there, and the score evened out at 12, 13, and 14, before a BU service error allowed the Zips to set their sights on match point.
In classic senior leadership fashion, Dimitrijevs capitalized on the opportunity and served up an ace to complete the comeback and lift the Zips to victory.
Setter Morgan Kuhn finished the night with 46 assists and 12 digs, allowing four Akron hitters to record double-digit kills. Dimitrijevs ended with 16, one short of her career-best 17, while Cocklin tied her career mark with 15. Harvey and Twitty chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.
Although Akron considerably out-hit Binghamton in the three sets it won, the Zips' blocking game was clutch. The team's seven solo blocks tie for eighth in program history for most in a match.
