AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team dropped a five-set (21-25, 25-19, 15-25, 25-15, 12-15) thriller to Kent State on Saturday evening at James A. Rhodes Arena in a Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge showdown.
The Zips fell to 11-14 overall and 3-11 in Mid-American Conference play, while Kent State improved to 13-15, 6-8 MAC.
Akron holds a 3.0-2.0 advantage over the Golden Flashes in the Crystal Clinic Wagon Wheel Challenge.
Junior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio) paced Akron with 14 kills, while senior Kayla Gwozdz(Temperance, Mich.) and junior Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.) added 12 apiece. Sophomore setter Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) recorded a double-double on the night with 51 assists and a team-best 15 digs. Senior Abbey Pawlak(Sylvania, Ohio) and Weigand recorded two service aces apiece.
Sophomore Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) and Gwozdz added 13 and 10 digs, respectively, to the defensive efforts. Richardson held a team-high five blocks, while Weigand recorded three.
Akron held a team hitting clip of .227, compared to Kent state at .284.
Kent State opened the first set with a 11-3 advantage after two early five-point runs. The Golden Flashes increased its lead to 16-6, when the Zips scored 13 of the next 19 points to cut the deficit to three. Akron would end up coming up short as a Zips' attacking error sealed a 25-21 first set win for Kent State.
Akron brought momentum in set two, taking a 10-7 lead. The opening run included three kills from freshman Teagan Ochaya (Mentor, Ohio). Akron scored five unanswered points, including two kills by Weigand, to build its lead to 17-10. The Golden Flashes didn't come closer than four points for the remainder of the set, while the Zips tied the match at 1-1, with a 25-19 second set win.
The beginning of the third set was a back-and-forth affair, seeing seven ties before the score sat locked at 9-all. Several short runs led Kent State to a 25-15 third set victory over the Zips.
The two teams alternated points in the fourth set until they reached a tie at 7-7. Two attacking errors by Kent State lifted Akron to a 9-7 advantage. A 6-2 run set the Golden Flashes back in the lead, when a 6-0 run, highlighted by two kills from Ochaya, pushed the Zips back in the lead at 17-13. Akron scored eight of the final 10 points to tie the match up once again, thanks to a 25-15 win in the fourth set.
Kent State quickly jumped ahead to a 9-2 lead in the final set, however the Zips inched their way back into the set. Three straight kills by Gwozdz cut the deficit to just 14-12, but a final kill by Kent State's Kathryn Ellison sealed a 15-12 fifth set victory to win the five-set battle.
Akron closes out its regular season on the road next weekend as it travels to take on Buffalo on Thursday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. before traveling to Ball State on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m. in its season finale.
Akron honored its two seniors, Kayla Gwozdz and Abbey Pawlak.
