The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
11-11,4-7MAC
Northern Illinois
10-10,3-8MAC
Zips Record Nine Aces In Win Over NIU
October 25 | Women's Volleyball
AKRON, OHIO -The Akron volleyball team took down the Northern Illinois Huskies in four sets (28-26, 20-25, 25-20, 25-17) Saturday at James A Rhodes Arena.
The Zips rattled off nine aces, led by three from Lyndi Wolf, while Vanessa Del Real, Martina Villani and Reilly Chausse each had two.
The Blue and Gold's offense, which featured three Zips in double-figure kills, was paced by Delaney Gash, who finished with 15 kills on the day. Gabby Brissett added 14 with a hitting percentage of .462 while Lyndi Wolf chipped in with 13 to go with a .522 hitting percentage. Defensively, Akron had two players reach double figures in digs as Vanessa Del Real had 21 and Jaryn Morgan had 10. From the front row, Chidera Ozoh contributed eight blocks and Wolf added six rejections. Villani added 46 assists to bolster the Zips offense.
The conference win improved Akron's record to 11-11 overall and 4-7 in MAC action.
Game Notes
» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Wolf had a match-high three aces in the win.
» Ozoh had a match-high eight blocks.
» Akron served up five aces on the way to a third-set victory.
» Gash had a match-high 15 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a team-high 21 digs from Del Real.
» Akron attackers were helped by a match-high 46 assists from Villani.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Zips endured a back-and-forth first set to win 28-26 in a stanza that featured six lead changes and was tied 12 times. Neither team led by more than three points in the match. The Zips opening set win came in a stanza where 18 of their 28 points came via the kill. Akron also supplemented their offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Akron fell in set two 25-20 to even the match 1-1. Northern Illinois grabbed the advantage for good at 7-6 in a set that was tied up three times before the Huskies took over the lead.
SET 3 | Akron fought back following the second-set loss to take the third set and a 2-1 lead in the match. Pinpoint serving helped the Zips win the set 25-20. Akron recorded five aces in the win. The Zips ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. The Akron offense also got a boost from five aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Akron kept the momentum going, claiming the match win with a 25-17 set-four victory. The Zips took the lead for good at 8-7 in a set that had just one lead change before the Zips took over the lead. Akron got a solid defensive performance from a front row that blocked four Northern Illinois attacks in the stanza and capitalized on 10 Northern Illinois attacking errors on the way to victory.
What's Next?
Akron travels to Buffalo on October 28 before hosting Eastern Michigan at the JAR on October 31 and November 1.
