Kent State University
9-315-9; MAC
Miami University (OH)
8-416-9; MAC
Flashes Impress in Bounce-Back Victory over RedHawks
10/31/2015 9:08:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Ohio – An energized Kent State team put together all phases of the game to beat Miami, 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22), on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Flashes bounced back from a tough five-set loss Friday night to hand the RedHawks their first loss of the season at Millett Hall in a matchup for sole possession of second place in the Mid-American Conference East Division.
Kent State (15-9, 9-3 MAC) has now won eight of its past nine matches, including three of four during its current five-match road swing.
"It was a quick turnaround from last night, and I thought we came in with a really good mentality and maintained a good energy level throughout the match," said head coach Don Gromala. "Last night was tough, but how the girls responded today is something that our staff can really be proud of. We always preach about looking forward and we did a great job of doing that today.
Kent State posted a .315 team hitting percentage and had five players contribute eight or more kills. Senior Kelly Hutchison led the way with 13 kills and sophomore Kelsey Bittinger was right behind her with 12 kills. Senior Bridget Wilhelm had nine kills and junior Drew Norberg added eight kills, as the middle blockers combined for a .389 hitting percentage. Freshman Lexi Mantas provided another weapon at the pin with eight kills, as she played in every set for the first time since September 11.
"Lexi played more for us early on in the year, but nothing has changed about what we expect from her," Gromala said. "She knows what her job is and she did a really good job offensively of playing within herself and not taking swings that aren't in her repertoire. Defensively, she got some good touches on the block as well."
Junior Katarina Kojic helped control tempo for the Flashes and finished with 45 assists. Kojic also served tough throughout the night and had three aces.
Sophomore Challen Geraghty continued to frustrate opposing hitters with terrific floor defense and recorded a personal-best in three-set matches with 27 digs. Geraghty now has 23 or more digs in five consecutive matches. Senior Sarah Mills added nine digs and Norberg led the way with three blocks.
"I thought we did a nice job defensively both at the net and with our floor defense," added Gromala. "We were really disciplined with our block setup and got some touches, which made it easier for our back row to make some digs and keep plays going. Challen made some big plays, not just on hard-hit balls, but she had a lot of range today, and we fed of that energy."
Kent State will conclude its five-match road swing at Ohio on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The Flashes will then return to the M.A.C. Center for their final three matches, beginning against Eastern Michigan next Saturday at 7 p.m.
