After starting the season 0-3, Kent State earned its first win against South Dakota State (1-5).  

KSU is now 1-5 on the season, its third 1-5 start in the last 10 seasons. The last occurred in 2017. 

The Flashes began Friday’s game against South Dakota State up 2-0 in the first set. The Jackrabbits then took a 14-4 run to gain an eight-point lead.

KSU roared back and tied the game 19-19 after a kill from senior outside hitter, Anna Shoemake.  The Flashes took the first set 25-23. 

Kent State and South Dakota State were tied 22-22 in set two, but South Dakota State won the set 25-22, tying the match at 1-1. 

In the third set, Kent State went down 20-13. The Flashes went on a 12-2 run to finish out the set, giving them an advantage entering the match’s fourth set.

Initially up 11-7, KSU ultimately fell short as the Jackrabbits came back and won the fourth set 25-20, pushing it to the fifth and final set. 

Kent State got off to a slow start, down 3-0 early. The Flashes bounced back and took a

7-4 lead, eventually winning the final set 15-10 and capturing the first win of the season.   

Athletes Kendall White, Bryn Roberts and Kiana Mack had strong showings over the tournament this past weekend.

“Being our leadership council, I think them going in and not letting the opponent phase us and not letting us go through the ups and downs that we’re going through was great for our

confidence,” coach Haley Eckerman said. “They stayed consistent all around, and I think that helped figure out how to help our team be successful.”

Over the weekend, Roberts recorded a team-high in digs (54), White recorded a team-high in assists (94) and Mack recorded a team-high in blocks (16).   

The next game was another grueling five-set matchup against Iowa (4-3). The game was evenly matched. Throughout the first three sets, the teams were only separated by two to three points, with the Flashes going up 2-1 on sets. 

Iowa struck back and won the final two sets, 25-18 and 15-7 to take the win on Saturday after sophomore Karina Salinas was injured. 

To end the tournament, Kent took on Middle Tennessee (2-3). 

The Flashes kept it close in the first set, and the game was tied 24-24. The Blue Raiders closed out the set with two straight points and won 26-24. 

In the second set, Middle Tennessee pulled away early and closed out on a 7-2 run, giving the Blue Raiders a 2-0 lead.

In the third and final set, the Blue Raiders totaled 17 kills against KSU to close out the sweep of the sets.

Freshmen Logan Henderson, Brooke Rifkin and Bri Brathol had standout performances over the weekend for the Flashes and received high praise from Eckerman. 

“Logan stepping up and playing this whole weekend and then coming in the last day after Karina rolled her ankle in the game the night before,” Eckerman said. “Brooke and Bri coming in and playing did a great job accepting their role. Bri had a lot of digs at crunch times. I think kind of everybody as a whole stepped up.”

“It might not have been on the stat sheet, but there were crucial points and times of everybody stepping in and doing what they needed to do.”

Eckerman also pointed out things the team can improve on moving forward for the season, including some defensive elements against Middle Tennessee. 

“I think our blocking was one of the things that kind of hurt us, especially against Middle Tennessee,” Eckerman said. “They had a left-handed right-side hitter, and we were just letting her go off. We had so many opportunities, and we just weren’t being as aggressive.”

The Flashes logged 23 blocks against South Dakota State and Iowa; against Middle Tennessee, the team only recorded four blocks. 

One thing Eckerman wants to focus on is controlling the game on their side of the court. 

“We don’t worry too much about what the other team is doing,” she said. “We know they’re going to score. When we control our side more and the balls that are given back to us, it shows how aggressive and successful we can be.” 

Up Next 

Kent State will travel to New York to compete in the Western New York Invitational. 

They will square off in a doubleheader Friday against Purdue Fort Wayne (3-3) and Canisius (2-4). 

On Saturday, they will play against Niagara University (0-6). This is the final invitation of the season for the Flashes. 

“I think Friday showed our potential. When everybody gives their all and competes, we can be successful,” Eckerman said. “I think the win was needed just to say: ‘Hey, we are good,’ but it also shows that we still have some things to work on.” 

Ethan Madden is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].