Akron Volleyball Back in the Win Column with Victory Over Kent State

Saturday, October 12

Akron, Ohio

7 PM

University of Akron

12-5,5-1MAC

Kent State

8-10,1-5MAC

Kent St.

Akron

Photo by: Ernie Aranyosi

Akron Volleyball Back in the Win Column with Victory Over Kent State

October 12 | Women's Volleyball

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AKRON, Ohio – Akron Volleyball defeated cross-town rival Kent State in four sets (25-22, 25-20, 26-28, 25-12) on Saturday night at James A. Rhodes Arena.

With the win, Akron improves to 12-5 (5-1 MAC), while Kent State falls to 8-10 (1-5 MAC).

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With the win over Kent State, Akron was awarded .5 point towards the rivalry's final score. The Golden Flashes currently hold the lead over Akron, 1 - .5, as they earned a point with a victory over Akron in football.

"It was nice to see some of our confidence and composure return tonight, particularly in the fourth set. We passed the ball well again and had a very balanced offense with four hitters in double digit kills and the fifth hitter hitting over .350. I'm proud of what we've accomplished so far and look forward to seeing what next weekend brings us" said head coach Tom Hanna.

Leading the way offensively for the Zips was senior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio) who finished the match with 13 kills and zero errors, good for an astounding .464 hitting percentage. Also contributing was junior Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio) who had 12 kills. Senior Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.), and junior Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio) added 10 kills a-piece.

Junior setter Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) handed out 43 assists while adding 5 kills and zero errors of her own, good for a .417 hitting percentage. Her success at running the offense led Akron to a .300 hitting percentage on the night. Defensively, junior Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio)paced the back-row defense with 13 digs, while Weigand and Adleta added 12 each.

The first set was a back-and-forth battle which saw 12 ties. Akron found itself up 9-7 early, but a four-point stretch by Kent State gave it the lead, 11-9. Both teams did a nice job of siding out quickly, until a four-point run by the Zips, which included two kills by Richardson and two errors by Kent State, re-claimed the lead, 18-15.

The Golden Flashes tried to fight back, but the effort ultimately fell short, as the Zips took the first set, 25-22.

The Zips began the second set firing out of the gate, as they found themselves ahead 7-0 early. This lead would hold until the middle of the set, when four consecutive points in Kent State's favor knotted the game at 16.

After the teams traded side outs, Akron was able to rattle off five consecutive points, which put it ahead 22-17, and propelled it to take the second set, 25-20.

The third set followed suit of the first, as it saw 13 ties. An early run by the Golden Flashes put them ahead 9-5, however the Zips responded in a great way; rattling off seven consecutive points of their own, taking the lead 12-9.

The teams would continue the set neck-and-neck, until the set reached extra points, tied at 26. Kent was able to take three consecutive points to clinch the third set, 28-26.

Akron was determined to take the match in four sets, and it did so in a big way. The Zips found themselves up 7-1 early and did not take their foot off the pedal. Near the end of the set, the deficit increased to 11 (the highest of the match), with Akron leading 20-9.

A big block by sophomore Megan Kelly (Lakewood, Ill.) and Fulmer clinched the final set, 25-12, and ultimately the match.

The Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena next weekend, as they play host Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m., followed by a match against Western Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.