The University of Akron Athletics
Volleyball Hosts Bowling Green and Miami (OH)
October 06 | Women's Volleyball
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Akron (5-11, 0-4) vs. Bowling Green (11-6, 1-3)
Friday, Oct. 7
James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio • 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Click Here
Akron (5-11, 0-4) vs. Miami (OH) (12-4, 4-0)
Saturday, Oct. 8
James A. Rhodes Arena
Akron, Ohio • 7:00 p.m.
Live Stats: Click Here
Live Video: Click Here
AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team remains at home this weekend to play host to Bowling Green and Miami (OH). The Zips look to get back on track Friday, Oct. 7 against BGSU before UA takes on the Redhawks Saturday, Oct. 8. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m. Saturday will serve as Akron's alumni match for Zips Volleyball with an alumni reception following the contest.
MATCH INFORMATION
Dates: Oct. 7-8
Location: Akron, Ohio
Site: James A. Rhodes Arena (5,500)
The Series: Akron trails Bowling Green, 20-33; Akron trails Miami (OH), 14-41
Head Coaches: Tom Hanna (152-166 overall, 13-32 at UA); Danijela Tomic (219-137 overall, 61-66 at Bowling Green); Carolyn Condit (674-524 overall, 575-444 at Miami)
Akron Assistant Coaches: Kacie Ehinger (Second Season); Jordan Armstrong (First Season)
ZIP LINES
• Akron is in its 43rd season of collegiate volleyball. Head coach Tom Hanna is in his second season at the helm and holds a 152-166 (.478) overall record and a 13-32 record leading the Zips.
• The Zips were projected to finish sixth in the Mid-American Conference East Division by the league's head coaches after finishing with an 8-21 overall mark in 2015.
• Akron returns 11 letterwinners including four starters from last season.
• Three newcomers join the Zips for the 2016 campaign: Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.), Cara Park (Millersburg, Ohio) and Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio).
• Akron is led by sophomore Patience Brown and senior Amanda Bedell who have 143 and 142 kills, respectively. Bedell also leads the team with 2.68 kills per set while Brown leads the Zips in points (170.5). Brown and junior Jessica Kloehn sit atop the Zips' roster with 37 and 33 total blocks apiece.
• Senior Karley Kusan has been running Akron's offense, as the setter has dished out 9.67 assists per set on the season thus far. Kusan has totaled 561 assists in 58 sets and leads the team with seven double-doubles on the season.
• Defensively, Brenna Mack and Kusan have paced the Zips with 214 and 148 digs, respectively. Mack has only committed eight receiving errors in 163 total attempts for a .963 reception percentage.
• Assistant coach Kacie Ehinger, who worked with Hanna at Marist for three seasons, is in her second season at Akron and has more than 13 years of experience in collegiate volleyball. She joined the Zips after spending the 2014 season at Lamar University.
• Assistant coach Jordan Armstrong begins his first season on Akron's staff. A four-year letterwinner at IPFW, Armstrong most recently served as the Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Mastodons where he was responsible for technical coordination of video, data project software, scouting reports, and working with the team's setters and offense. He also operated as the point person for team travel and assisted with team administration.
WHAT IS A ZIP?
• One of the unique nicknames in collegiate athletics belongs to The University of Akron.
• Originally Zippers, athletic director Kenneth "Red" Cochrane officially shortened the nickname to the Zips in 1950. Twenty-five years earlier a campus-wide contest had been conducted to choose a nickname for the University's athletics teams.
• Suggestions submitted by students, faculty, and alumni included Golden Blue Devils, Tip Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbillies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers.
• The winner, freshman Margaret Hamlin, received a prize of $10 for Zippers, a $6 pair of rubber overshoes and a brand name of the BF Goodrich Company.
• The evolution of Zippy, UA's mascot, began 40 years ago when the student council decided the University needed a mascot.
• "Zippy" the kangaroo was officially declared the school's mascot on May 1, 1953. The first known printed reference to the mascot as "Zippy" was a 1965 Zip football press brochure. The Buchtelite's first use of the name "Zippy" came Sept. 24, 1965, in an identification of a photo of the cheerleaders listing "Mascot - 'Zippy' - Charles Huettner."
• In 2007, Zippy was named the Capital One National Mascot of the Year.
LAST TIME OUT/UP NEXT
• Akron built up an early two-set lead over Buffalo but was ultimately unable to close the book on the Bulls as the Zips dropped a five-set contest at James A. Rhodes Arena Thursday night.
• UA then put together a dominating performance in the second set, and nearly pulled off a late upset in the fourth, but the effort fell short in a 3-1 loss to Toledo on Saturday at home.
• The Zips will hit the road for their only two away contests in October. Akron will face off against Western Michigan on Friday, Oct. 14 before a showdown with Northern Illinois on Saturday, Oct. 15. Both matches are set to begin at 7 p.m.
SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN
• The Falcons were picked to finish fifth in East Division MAC play this season by the conference's head coaches. Bowling Green went 7-22 overall and 3-13 in the conference in 2015.
• Bowling Green enters Friday's match with a 11-6 overall record and a 1-3 mark in the conference.
• BGSU is led by fifth-year head coach Danijela Tomic who garners a 61-66 mark at BGSU and is 219-137 in her career as a head coach.
• Jelena Sunjic paces the Bowling Green offense with 4.27 kills per set, and setter Katie Scholten posts 10.65 assists per set. Alyssa Maloney is first on the team in blocking, putting up 0.67 per frame while Madeline Garda has registered 6.38 digs per set.
SCOUTING MIAMI (OH)
• Miami was projected to finish first in the East Division in the MAC preseason poll after compiling a 21-10 overall record and a 12-4 conference mark in 2015. The Redhawks received nine of the 12 votes to take the MAC regular season championship title, while also claiming five votes to walk away champions.
• Miami enters its Friday's match with Buffalo standing at 12-4 overall and 4-0 in the MAC, tied for first place with NIU.
• MU is led by Carolyn Condit, who is in her 33rd season leading the RedHawks. Condit holds a record of 575-444 at Miami, and is 674-524 overall in her collegiate coaching career.
• The Miami offense is led by Katie Tomasic with 2.65 kills per set while Mackenzie Zielinski and Krista Brakauskas average 5.60 and 5.36 assists per set, respectively. Defensively, Paige Hill has notched 1.15 blocks per set and Maeve McDonald posts4.75 digs per set. As a team, Miami is first in the conference in kills per set (14.67) and hitting percentage (.305).
