The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
1-4,0-0MAC
Texas Rio Grande Valley
4-2,0-0Southland
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTRGV | 23 | 25 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 3 |
| Akron | 25 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 9 | 2 |
Zips Drop Five-Set Match with UTRGV
September 07 | Women's Volleyball
AKRON, Ohio --The Akron volleyball team lost to the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros in five sets (25-23, 20-25, 26-28, 25-15, 9-15) Saturday at James A Rhodes Arena.
The Zips offense was paced by Lauren Baker, who finished with 17 kills on the day. Gabby Brissett added 12 and Emanouela Christodoulou chipped in with 11 as part of balanced Akron attack. Defensively, Akron had three players reach double figures in digs, including Vanessa Del Real's 15, 12 from Martina Villani, and 12 more from Eliska Vytiskova.
The non-conference loss dropped Akron to 1-4 on the season.
Game Notes
» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Akron had three players in double figures in digs.
» Karleighana Jones had a team-high three aces in the loss.
» Baker had a team-high 17 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a team-high 15 digs from Del Real.
» Akron attackers were helped by a team-high 31 assists from Vytiskova.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Zips grabbed the first set 25-23 helped by a strong showing on the attacking side. Akron registered a .429 attack percentage with 17 kills in the set victory. The Zips rallied from down five at 12-7 to grab the win.
SET 2 | Akron fell in the second set 25-20 to tie the match 1-1. The Zips trailed by as many as six points as UT Rio Grande Valley grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that was tied up seven times before the Vaqueros took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Akron then dropped their second set in a row, falling behind in the match two sets to one. The Zips dropped a back-and-forth battle, losing 28-26 in a set that featured eight lead changes and was tied 15 times. Neither team had a lead of more than three points along the way.
SET 4 | Akron broke their two set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-15 victory in set number four. A strong performance on the attacking end led the Zips to victory in the set. Akron put together a .375 attack percentage with 13 kills in the set win. The Zips ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. Akron also supplemented their offense with four aces in the set.
SET 5 | After dropping sets two and three, Akron won set four, tying things up at 2-2 to force a fifth set, but couldn't complete the comeback, losing the set 15-9 and the match 3-2. The Zips lost the fifth set despite a strong performance on the attacking side. Akron put together a .333 attack percentage with nine kills in the set loss.
What's Next?
The Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena on Tuesday, September 10 for a 6 pm contest with the Lakers.
