The First Serve

The Kent State volleyball team (11-15, 4-8) will kickoff rivalry weekend as it takes on Akron (13-14, 4-8) Friday night in the M.A.C. Center. The Golden Flashes will compete in their final regular season home match Saturday night against Buffalo (15-11, 5-7). Both contests are slated for 7 p.m.

The last time Akron and Kent State met was Oct. 3 of this year when the Golden Flashes overcame a first-set loss to win 3-1 (24-26, 25-23, 25-16, 25-20). The Zips led 24-19 in the first before five-straight Akron attack errors tied the set at 24. The Zips won the set with a pair of points on Kent State attack errors, but momentum shifted to the Flashes as they started up 6-2 in the second en route to winning the set and match.

In the contest, Kent State out-blocked Akron 18-6.

Senior Arjola Prenga led Kent State and nearly missed a triple-double with 19 kills, 11 digs and seven blocks. Sophomore Liva Brivule added 13 kills while sophomore Maigan Larsen contributed 10 kills. Joining Prenga in leading the team with seven blocks was junior Celia Sabo.

Senior Brionna Patterson contributed 16 kills while senior Kara Smith had 40 of the teams 46 assists.

In the match against Buffalo Oct. 2, the Bulls took advantage of 15 Kent State service errors in a 3-1 win (25-14, 19-25, 25-19, 27-25). Prenja had a game-high 22 kills and 13 digs while Brivule added 17 kills. Senior Jenny Keck recorded 47 assists, five blocks, four digs and two kills on five attempts (.400 hitting percentage).

Junior Maria Hornbaker paced the Bulls with 10 of the teams 20 kills and 15 digs. Junior Lindsey Schlegel nearly missed a double-double of her own with 45 assists and eight digs.

Kent State holds a 33-29 edge in the all-time series against Akron while the Flashes hold an 18-6 edge over the Buffalo Bulls.

Not Able to Make it to the M.A.C.C.?

If you are unable to attend the matches this weekend, both contests will be streamed live through the K-Zone premium service beginning at 7 p.m. You can sign up by clicking here and filling out the information with your credit card info and then you will have access for the final two home volleyball regular season matches (and the MAC tournament game, if applicable). After the season, home basketball games, wrestling matches and gymnastic meets will be available through K-Zone for the rest of 2009-10.

Scouting Akron

The Zips come into Friday’s action having won their last two matches in straight sets against Bowling Green (Oct. 31) and at Youngstown State (Nov. 3).

In their last match against the Penguins, senior Brionna Patterson led the Zips with 15 kills while Liz Martin added 14 kills. Kara Smith tallied 41 of the teams 45 assists.

On the year, Akron is fifth in the conference with 1.22 aces per set while Patterson leads the team and is third in the conference in both kills and points per set with 4.02 and 4.49, respectively. Senior Karen Smith is seventh in the conference with 9.89 assists per set. Chelsea Harvey leads the team with 2.78 digs per set.

Scouting Buffalo

The Bulls enter the weekend having lost both matches at Alumni Arena last weekend. The lost in straight sets to Bowling Green Friday night before losing a heartbreaker to Miami in five sets Saturday night.

Against the RedHawks, senior Dani Silvers led the Bulls with 14 kills while junior Marissa Hornbaker and redshirt junior Kelsey Lueders added 11 and 10 kills, respectively. Junior Lindsey Schlegel added a double-double with 43 assists and 11 digs.

For the season, Schlegel leads the conference with 0.46 aces per set while junior Kristen Bignell leads the team and is third in the MAC with 1.08 blocks per set. Tori Beckman leads the team and in third in the conference with 4.62 digs per set. Schlegel is also fifth in the conference in assists with an average of just under 10 a frame.

As a team, Buffalo is third in the conferece, behind Kent State, with 2.06 blocks per set.

Thanks for the Memories...

After the match Saturday night against Buffalo, Kent State will honor four seniors for their contributions to the volleyball program.

Playing in their final regular season match at the M.A.C. Center will be senior setters Katie Veatch (Cincinnati, Ohio/Roger Bacon) and Jenny Keck (Fort Wayne, Ind./Concordia Lutheran). With this pair, Kent State will be losing not one but two athletes who are in the top-10 in career assists in school history. Thus far in her career, Veatch is fourth with 2,427 assists while Keck is fifth with 1,600. Veatch also has the 10th-most assists in a single season with 1,176 assists in 2006.

Keck was named MAC East player of the Week earlier this year Oct. 5 after recording 88 assists against Buffalo and Akron in eight sets on the weekend (11.00 per set). She also was effective on her overhand serve, mixing long and short serves to keep the Zip’s defense on its toes.

Senior Arjola Prenga (Tirana, Albania) will play her final home regular season game in a Kent State uniform Saturday against the Bulls. In only one season with the Golden Flashes, she has made her presence known as she ranks second in the MAC with 4.20 kills per set and 10th with 3.61 digs per set. On the season, she has recorded double-digits in both kills and digs 14 times in 20 games. She earned tournament MVP honors at the Kent State/Mizuno open when she had a career-high in kills (27) against Utah State (Sept. 18) and digs (21) against Butler (Sept. 19). She was also named to the all-tournament team for the Patriot Invitational (Sept. 4-5) and the Raider Challenge (Sept. 11-12).

Finally, Kent State will honor student assistant coach and former player Heather Dixon. Dixon played in 40 matches in two seasons and has 97 kills for her career. She has been a student assistant the last two seasons for the Golden Flashes.


Blocker v. Blocker

With only five players in the MAC with an average or more than a block a set, it is a bit of an anomaly this season when two such players square off on opposing teams. However, this weekend will be one of those occasions when sophomore Liva Brivule squares off against junior Kristin Bignell of Buffalo. Brivule holds a slight edge over Bignell, 106-99, in total blocks, but Bignell holds a slim 1.08-1.07 edge in blocks per set as she has played in seven less sets. Bignell is third in the conference in b/s while Brivule is fourth.

Speaking of Blocking…

Sophomore Liva Brivule is already writing her name in the Kent State record books, and she still has a minimum five matches left in the season. Through 26 matches, she has moved into fourth for assisted blocks in a season (91) and in a tie for sixth with 106 total blocks this season.

Among the Conference Leaders

Besides Brivule with 1.07 blocks per set, senior Arjola Prenga is second in the conference in kills per set (4.20) while she is 10th in digs (3.41). Freshman Meredith Paskert is ninth with 0.28 aces per set. Kent State, as a team, is second in the conference with 2.49 blocks per set.

Next Up

Kent State will conclude the 2009 regular season on the road as it travels to Bowling Green (Thurs., Nov. 12) and Miami (Sat., Nov. 14). First serve against the Falcons is set for 7 p.m. while the regular season finale with the RedHawks is scheduled for 5 p.m.