Saturday's MAC Volleyball Results

Saturday's MAC Volleyball Results
Miami 3, Buffalo 2
Ohio 3, Eastern Michigan 1
Akron 3, Bowling Green 0
Central Michigan 3, Kent State 0
Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Ball State 3, Northern Illinois 0

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Miami 3, Buffalo 2
BUFFALO, NY - The UB women's volleyball team was unable to sustain a 2-1 lead as the visiting Miami RedHawks defeated the Bulls in five, 3-2, Saturday evening at Alumni Arena. The loss was just UB's second five-set loss of the season and snapped a streak of UB splitting every conference weekend to date. The Bulls are now 15-11 on the season and 5-7 in the MAC.

The RedHawks took a very evenly contested match 22-25, 25-15, 16-25, 25-20, 17-15 as they narrowly outhit UB, .250 to .226. After the Bulls won the first set, Miami played very strong in the second set. The Bulls responded by playing one of their best sets of the season in the third, hitting .382 for the set. However, the RedHawks responded with a fourth set victory and then the two teams fought back and forth in the fifth before Miami took the lead. The Bulls did fight off two match points before Miami claimed the victory.

"I thought we did a nice job bouncing back after last night, but we still have to get better at finishing when we have the lead," said head coach Todd Kress. "I give Miami a lot of credit for the way they fought and that is why they are amongst the top of the conference."

Dani Silvers led the way with 14 kills, while junior Marisa Hornbaker added 11 kills. Redshirt junior Kelsey Lueders added 10 kills and just one error as she hit .450 for the match, while adding five total blocks. Junior Kristin Bignell added nine kills and four blocks for the Bulls, while Abby Niekamp added five kills and five blocks.

Junior Lindsey Schlegel had 43 assists, five kills and 10 digs on the night, while freshman Tori Beckman added a match-high 23 digs. Beckman also had a team-high two service aces.

Miami was led by 16 kills from Hallie Hanks and 15 kills from Michele Metzler. Andrea Atteberry had a match-high 51 assists, while Maria Leahy led the way with 20 digs.

The Bulls will be back in action next weekend when they hit the road for a pair of MAC contests. UB travels to Ohio on Friday night and Kent State on Saturday. Both matches are set for 7:00 pm.

Ohio 3, Eastern Michigan 1
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) - Despite an opening set win, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team dropped a Mid-American Conference cross divisional tilt to Ohio University Saturday afternoon, Oct. 31, at the Convocation Center, as the Eagles fell, 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 19-25, 12-25) to the MAC East leading Bobcats.

The loss drops EMU to 4-24 (3-9 MAC), while Ohio improves to 19-5 (11-1 MAC) with the win.

Senior Victoria Randolph (Cincinnati, Ohio-Mount Notre Dame) had a solid afternoon for the Eagles, as she led EMU with 14 kills and a .353 kill percentage.

The Eagles and Bobcats traded point for point in the opening set, but the Eagles pulled away to make it to 20 first, as a solo kill by sophomore Ashley Mason (Eastlake, Ohio-Lake Catholic) gave the Eagles a 20-15 advantage. The Eagles managed to hold off the MAC leading Bobcats and rally for five more points, as a solo kill off a free ball by junior Jennifer Swartz (Canton, Mich.-Westland John Glenn) propelled EMU to a 25-22 win. Mason finished the match with 32 assists and five kills, while Swartz finished with eight kills and a .200 kill percentage.

The Bobcats pulled together in game two, as a block up front by Meghan Simons and Michelle Jantsch gave Ohio a 12-7 advantage, forcing EMU head coach Kim Berrington to take a timeout. The Bobcats managed to reach the 20 point mark first, as a kill on line back line by Katie Post gave Ohio a 20-14 advantage. Despite a late EMU rally, the Bobcats rallied for five more points to take set two, 25-18, and knot the game at 1-1 at intermission.

EMU and Ohio again traded point for point in the third set of the afternoon, as the two teams went to a 10-all tie until back to back EMU kills and a Ohio error after a point gave the Eagles a 13-11 lead. But Ohio would answer, as the Bobcats went on a 9-3 scoring run to reach the 20 point mark first, taking a 20-16 advantage. The Eagles rallied late to make it 23-19, but the Bobcats proved to be too much, as a powerful strike to the back corner by Ellen Herman sealed the third set win for Ohio, 25-19. Herman finished with a game-best 26 kills and a .471 kill percentage.

The Bobcats came out firing in the fourth set, reeling off four consecutive points, including back to back aces by Post, to take a 4-0 lead and force an EMU timeout. Ohio never looked back, taking an 12 point lead after a solo block up front by Sue Jacobi gave her team a 16-4 lead. The Bobcats went on to take the fourth set and win the match, 25-12.

The Eagles are back on the road next week when they head to Ball State University Friday, Nov. 6 and the University of Toledo Saturday, Nov. 7. Both matches are slated for 7 p.m.

Akron 3, Bowling Green 0
AKRON, Ohio - Striking a .325 hitting percentage, The University of Akron volleyball team (12-14, 4-8 MAC) downed the Bowling Green Falcons (10-17, 3-9 MAC) winning in three sets Friday night inside James A. Rhodes Arena.

Akron's 12th win of the season, along with the Zips first sweep of a Mid-American Conference opponent, marked one more than UA's win total in 2008 as well as the most in the tenure of second-year head coach Ron Arenz.

UA was led on the night by senior Brionna Patterson who posted a team-high 13 kills. Also receiving stellar performances from other Zips, sophomores Tina Dimitrijevs and Courtney Jarvis put up a combined 17 kills with no errors between them. Dimitrijevs struck a career-high .750 hitting percentage while adding three block assists. Jarvis posted a .500 on the night adding 11 digs.

Bowling Green was the squad that took the early lead on the evening going up 9-4 in the first set. Akron would tie the contest at the 10-10 mark off a kill by Jarvis and both teams would go point for point until Akron took a two-point lead they would never relinquish at the 17-15 mark. Bowling Green would come within one at 19-18 off a UA attack error but would never regain the lead as the Zips took the 25-20 set win.

Set two was close as neither team was able to gain more than a two-point lead until UA went up 20-17 off a Bowling Green attack error. The Falcons were not able to produce any more points throughout the set as two Akron errors pushed them to their final points of the set as Akron claimed the 25-19 win.

Bowling Green would hold much of the momentum during the opening half of the third set. Holding a steady 16-11 lead, Akron slowly went on a consistent 7-2 run to tie the contest at the 18 mark. Gaining the lead and changing momentum off a service ace by senior setter Kara Smith (19-18), Akron forced three BGSU attack errors to push Akron to a 23-19 lead. A kill by junior Jackie Goleman put UA within match point (24-19) and a Bowling Green service error pushed UA to the 25-21 victory.

The Zips struck over a .300 hitting percentage in all three sets in the win including a game-high .351 in the third set. Smith posted the Zips only double-double of the night putting up 39 assists and 13 digs.

The Zips will break up conference play this week traveling to Youngstown State Tuesday (Nov. 3) to take on the Penguins in a 7:00 p.m. match up.

Central Michigan 3, Kent State 0
MOUNT PLEASANT -- Freshman Katie Schuette was ready.

After having played in just one match, two sets against Western Michigan on Oct. 10, since mid-September, Schuette earned a start for the Central Michigan volleyball team in Saturday's match against Kent State. She responded with 12 kills in just 18 swings, hitting .611, and added nine digs to help the Chippewas sweep away the Golden Flashes (25-21, 25-22, 25-11) at Rose Center in Mid-American Conference action.

"Schuette was probably the most aggressive player we've had on the floor in any match this season," head coach Erik Olson said. "That was quite a performance, and now she's created a level of expectation. We knew she had a lot of potential and upside, and we hope it continues."

The freshman had two kills and four digs in the first set, and finished strong with five kills in both the second and third frames.
CMU hit .352 as a squad just one match after struggling offensively against Eastern Michigan. Junior Lauren Krupsky had a game-high 14 kills and sophomore Kaitlyn Schultz added seven.

"We were a lot more aggressive today. We just didn't click on Thursday, and even today was kind of a strange match," Olson said. "We didn't run the type of offense I like to run but it was the situation we were in and it worked."

The Chippewas also allowed the Flashes (11-15, 4-8 MAC) to hit just .107, thanks to stout defensive play. Schuette's nine digs led all players, and seniors Alexis Lonneman and Stephanie Budde each added eight. Schultz also added five blocks and freshman Val DeWeerd also stepped up after playing sparingly over the past few months to add three stuffs.

"That's what being a team is all about. We felt DeWeerd was a better match-up as we got into the match," Olson said. "Val and Danielle Gotham have been competing at that outside spot all season, and on most days Gotham has been a better fit, but today we just wanted to take advantage of what we thought was a good match-up and Val did a very nice job."

Six aces also aided CMU's cause, although the 12 service errors were of some concern for Olson.

"At times we were aggressive, but we forgot a few lessons in terms of risk," Olson said. "At times we got frustrated with not being able to get a run going because we didn't get a serve in, but the aces are a byproduct of our aggressive mentality."

CMU (14-8, 7-5 MAC) will now head back to the road after going 3-1 on its four-match homestand. The Chippewas will travel to Toledo and Ball State in the second-to-last weekend of the conference season.

Western Michigan 3, Toledo 0
KALAMAZOO -- Sophomore middle blocker Ashley Turnage set career highs with 12 kills, .647 attack percentage and eight blocks to lead Western Michigan volleyball past Toledo, 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-21), on Saturday night at University Arena.

"This weekend was a very good opportunity for Ashley to improve her blocking, which was already a strength," head coach Colleen Munson said. "Her offense also really came together this weekend. She's been doing a great job of making herself an option and tonight the connection between her and Jill (Mitchell) was on point."

The Broncos (18-9, 10-2 MAC) improved to 10-1 at home this season and 22-0 all-time in Kalamazoo against the Rockets (14-10, 5-7 MAC) with the victory that keeps WMU atop the Mid-American Conference West.

"This was a good weekend to see two teams with distinctly different styles and strengths," Munson said. "What impressed me was our ability to dictate tempo with our strengths and take away the strengths of our opponents. Normally, we feel out the opponent and wait to counter. This weekend, we didn't wait. We took control early and made the other team adjust to us."

Senior Michelle Moore added 11 kills, 12 digs and three blocks, while junior Allyson Doyle hit .381 with nine kills, nine digs and five blocks. Senior setter Jillian Mitchell dished 38 assists with seven digs and two kills. Mitchell moved into fifth all-time in career digs at WMU with 1,147, passing Liz Gunn.

Senior libero Caitlin Strimel led all players with 18 digs to lead the defense. Senior Katie Eberling added nine digs and five kills, while freshman Jessica Brown contributed six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Sam Viox led all players with two aces as a serving specialist.
The Rockets tied the score at one in the first set, but were never that close again as a kill by Brown, Doyle ace and Eberling kill put WMU up, 4-1. Toledo scored two in a row, but WMU went on a 5-1 run to build the lead to five, 9-4, and force a timeout. The Rockets cut the lead to two, 11-9, but a Doyle kill and Viox ace gave WMU breathing room again. The Broncos kept in control and went up seven, 19-12, after a Mitchell kill and Turnage solo block. Turnage finished the set with a kill, 25-16, on the Broncos' second set point.

WMU hit .217 with 14 kills, four by Brown, while holding Toledo to .042 hitting with 11 kills. Turnage had four blocks, two solo, in the opening set.

The Broncos appeared to break the set open after a 3-0 run on a Turnage kill, Mitchell ace and Turnage/Doyle block broke open a tied set, 13-10. The Rockets came back to tie the score, 15-15, but WMU answered with kills by Turnage and Eberling. Toledo came back again to tie the score at 18 and 19, but back-to-back kills by Moore forced another Toledo timeout, 21-19. The Rockets never tied the score again and Turnage ended the second set with another kill, 25-22.

Offense was featured in set two with WMU hitting .425 with 20 kills, while the Rockets hit .325 with 16 kills. Moore had seven kills in 12 attempts, while Turnage tallied six kills in eight attempts.

The Broncos jumped out to a lead in the third set, 6-2, behind a pair of assisted blocks by Brown and kills by Doyle, Moore and Brown. The Rockets came back and took their first lead of the match, 8-7, but Moore evened the match and WMU regained the lead on an UT error. The Broncos remained up two, 13-11, after a Toledo service error and Viox ace, but Toledo came back to regain the lead, 15-14. Eberling scored with a kill to even the set, but Toledo scored again to stay on top, 16-15. UT missed the serve on the next point and Moore had a solo block to put WMU back on top, 17-16. Toledo tied the match again, but back-to-back Turnage kills put WMU up two, 19-17.

After a timeout, Toledo tied the score again. The Broncos kept delivering answers with a Turnage kill, UT error and Turnage/Doyle block to go up three, 22-19. Toledo didn't have any more rallies and Doyle ended the set with a kill down the line.

WMU hit .121 with 11 kills and seven errors in the set, but held Toledo to .027 hitting with 12 kills and 11 errors.

Overall, WMU hit .261 with 45 kills, 14 errors, 57 digs, 12 blocks and four aces, while Toledo hit .128 with 39 kills, 23 errors, 52 digs, two blocks and no aces.

Toledo was led by Stephanie Kersting, Cassie Kleespies and Amber DeWeerdt with nine kills each, although DeWeerdt hit .000 and Kersting hit .138 from the outside. Katie Westerfeld led the Rockets with 16 digs, while Kassie Kadera passed out 33 assists.

The Broncos wrap up their five-match homestand next Thursday (Nov. 5) at 7 p.m. against Northern Illinois (13-12, 7-5 MAC) on Senior Night at University Arena.

Ball State 3, Northern Illinois 0
DeKALB, Ill. - The Northern Illinois women's volleyball team was swept by Ball State on Saturday night at Victor E. Court, 25-22, 29-27, 25-19, as the Cardinals spoiled the Huskies' "Senior/Alumni Night" by out-hitting NIU .265 to .174 and out-blocking the Huskies 10-2 to earn the Mid-American Conference match win.

"Ball State went to the net tonight," said NIU head coach Ray Gooden. "That's their strength. They are a really good blocking team. All the credit goes to them for forcing us to make better plays."

The Cardinals (11-14, 4-8 MAC) never really let NIU (13-12, 7-5 MAC) get going at any point in the match. After dropping a close first set, the Huskies came up just short again in the second set. With a 24-23 lead after a kill from sophomore Allison McGlaughlin (Morton, Ill./Morton), NIU could not close the set as BSU's Brittany McGinnis tallied a kill to knot the score. Following another McGlaughlin kill, BSU's Alyssa Rio made a diving dig on McGlaughlin's serve to avoid losing the set and then the Cardinals turned that into a point after Julie Breivogel notched a kill to end the sequence. The teams then exchanged points before another Breivogel kill gave BSU an opportunity for set-point and the Cardinals cashed in on an attack error by senior Meagan Schoenrock (Sylvania, Ohio/Northview).

"I think that the most critical play in that sequence was their reception of Allison's serve," Gooden said. "They had to make a great play to keep the ball alive. They won that hustle play. That was a big part in the match."

Then in the third set with the score in favor of Ball State, 10-9, the Cardinals went on an 11-6 run to open up a 21-15 lead that helped them finish off the Huskies in three sets at home for only the second time this season.

McGlaughlin led the way for NIU with 14 digs and 12 kills for her 11th double-double of the year. Schoenrock also reached double-figures with 11 kills. Additionally, sophomore Kristin Hoffman (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) totaled 23 assists and junior Maddie Hughes (St. Charles, Ill./North) had 12 digs.

Next up for the Huskies is the beginning of their season ending four-game road trip, starting with a 6 p.m. (CDT) Thursday night contest against Western Michigan.