KENT, Ohio – Kent State had a pair of set points to break Ohio for a 1-0 lead, but the Bobcats held on and out-blocked the Golden Flashes 11-2 in the final two sets for a 3-0 win (29-27, 25-18, 25-14). Ohio improves to 18-5 and 10-1 in the MAC while Kent State falls to 11-14 and 4-7 in the conference.
Senior Arjola Prenga led Kent State with 13 digs and eight kills while sophomore Maigan Larsen contributed seven kills and only one error on 18 attempts for a .333 hitting percentage. Senior Jenny Keck had 20 assists and a .833 hitting percentage (five kills on six attempts).
Ellen Herman paced Ohio with 13 kills while Sue Jacobi contributed 10. Michelle Jantsch had 30 assists while Sarah Petrulis had 17 digs.
A back and forth first set saw Ohio breakthrough and take a 14-10 lead and forced a Kent State timeout. Both teams traded the next 12 points and KSU looked like they may run out of chances when head coach Glen Conley took a timeout down 20-16. However, KSU answered out of the break, getting back on serve with a Larsen kill and a pair of Ohio attack errors to pull within one. Ohio answered back with a Herman kill, but the Flashes tied the set at 21 on a Bobcat service and attack error.
The back and forth set continued as Ohio took a 22-21 lead on a KSU attack error, but a pair of Bobcat attack errors gave the Golden Flashes their first lead since 5-4 in set one. A kill by both teams gave Kent State set point, but Ohio answered with a Jacobi kill and a KSU attack error to give the Bobcats a set point up 26-25.
The bonus volleyball in set one did not end, as a Prenga and a sophomore Liva Brivule kill gave Kent State its second set point at 27-26. Undeterred, kills by Meghan Simons and Herman gave the Bobcats their third set point. Third time proved to be the charm as a Brivule attack error ended the marathon set 29-27.
The second frame proved to be all Ohio. The Bobcats jumped out to a 5-1 lead. Kent State cut the deficit to 14-11, but a service error and a pair of attack miscues gave Ohio a 17-11 lead. The Bobcats never trailed by less than five in the set as Ohio won the second by seven.
With a slim 10-9 lead in the third, Ohio used a 13-1 run to effectively end the match. Three Ohio errors brought Kent State within 23-13, but a pair of Jacobi kills ended the match.
Kent State returns to action Saturday when it travels to Central Michigan for its final MAC West match. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
