Zips Fall in Four-Set Decision to Western Michigan

Friday, October 13

Akron, OH

7 p.m.

University of Akron

6-13, 2-5MAC

Western Michigan

12-6, 5-2MAC

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
WMU	25	14	25	26	3
Akron	16	25	23	24	1

Box Score (PDF)

October 13 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

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Box Score (PDF)

AKRON, Ohio- The University of Akron volleyball team dropped a hard-fought four-set decision (16-25, 25-14, 23-25, 24-26) to Western Michigan on Friday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

The Zips saw their ledger dip to 6-13 overall and 2-5 in Mid-American Conference play, while the Broncos improved to 12-6 overall and 5-2 in league action.

Junior Kayla Gwozdz (Temperance, Mich.) led the Zips' offensive efforts with 13 kills, followed by sophomore Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.), who tallied eight kills. Freshmen Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) and Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) paced the defense with 10 and nine digs, respectively.

Western Michigan got off to an early 9-4 lead in the match before Akron used a 4-1 scoring run to go ahead, 11-10. The Broncos answered back with an 8-0 run of their own, before being stopped by an Akron kill from sophomore Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio). With the Broncos' lead at 23-14, the Zips put together two-consecutive scores with the help of a pair of Western Michigan errors, but the Broncos took the first set, 25-16.

Akron's offense ignited in the second set as a kill from junior Madi Baer (Stow, Ohio) started an 8-1 run for the Zips. Weigand, Karsner, and senior Jessica Kloehn (Milwaukee, Wis.) all contributed during the run, which put the Zips ahead 13-7. The Broncos threatened to close Akron's lead, but the Zips went on strike again and scored four-consecutive points to give them a 21-12 advantage. With no stopping Akron's scoring, the Broncos fell in the second set, 25-14. The Zips ended the second frame with a .565 hitting percentage to Western Michigan's .083.

The Broncos answered back in the third set using a 4-1 run to give them a 9-7 lead. With Akron trailing, 13-9, a kill from Kloehn got the offense into a rhythm to put together three-straight scoring points to trail by one, 13-12. With the teams tied at 19, Akron regained the advantage with the help of a Kloehn kill and an ace from junior Abbey Pawlak (Sylvania, Ohio), to place it ahead, 21-19. Western Michigan answered back scoring the last four points of the set and took a 25-23 third-set victory.

In the final set of the match, Akron earned an early 6-2 lead. The Zips scored three-straight points that extended their lead to 11-6, before Western Michigan put together a 4-1 scoring run of its own which cut Akron's lead to one, 12-11. The momentum shifted as the Zips were able to score and go ahead 17-13, before the Broncos scored four consecutive points to tie the set at 17. Another Western Michigan 4-1 run put the Broncos in the lead, 21-18, but Akron rallied knotting the score at 21. The teams continued to battle as the score was tied three more times before the Broncos scored three unanswered points to take a 26-24 final-set victory.

Western Michigan ended the evening with a .237 hitting percentage to the Zips' .212 percentage.

Akron returns to action on Saturday night at 5 p.m. to take on Northern Illinois at the James A. Rhodes Arena. Saturday's match will be broadcasted on ESPN 3.