Kent State’s volleyball team had an impressive showing in its recent tournament in New York, going 2-1 and improving its overall record to 3-6 on the season. 

The Flashes dominated in their first game Friday against Purdue Fort Wayne (5-4), winning the match in four sets with a final score of 3-1. 

Kent State started down 4-1 in the first set but turned it around quickly and went on a 9-0 run to make the score 9-4. 

Purdue Fort Wayne brought it back to only being down two, at 15-13. 

KSU didn’t stop there, winning the first set 25-20. 

In the second set, both teams were tied at 15-15 before the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons went on a 7-0 run. 

The Mastodons tied the sets at one apiece, with the final score being 25-17. 

In the third set, KSU found themselves down 12-10. 

Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire recorded two back-to-back kills to begin an 8-0 run for the Flashes. 

McGuire totaled seven kills in the set and helped the team secure the win 25-20, pushing it to the fourth set. 

The score was close; Kent was up 24-22 going into match point. 

Purdue Fort Wayne fought off two match point opportunities, but the Flashes were too much to handle. 

KSU won the final set 26-24, winning their first matchup of the day. 

On Friday, Kent State’s second matchup in the double-header was a back-and-forth matchup against the Canisius Golden Griffins (2-6). 

The Flashes fought hard in the first set but could not close it out as Canisius won 25-22 to go up 1-0. 

The second set was a different story. 

Kent State and Canisius battled back and forth, leading to both teams tied at 6-6. 

The Flashes then went on a 9-3 scoring run, opening a 15-10 lead.

CU would go on a 5-1 scoring run, cutting the KSU lead to 17-16.

Towards the end of the set, Kent State lost four straight points, putting the team down 23-22. 

KSU fought back, winning three straight points to claim the second set 25-23, tying the game at 1-1. 

In the third set, the Flashes were dominant, having a hitting percentage of 35 percent compared to the Golden Griffins 18 percent, leading to a 25-19 win, giving Kent State a 2-1 game lead. 

The fourth set was full of action for both sides, with 12 ties and five lead changes. 

After going up 23-22, KSU could not close out the set as Canisius scored three straight points to win the set 25-23.

Starting the fifth set, the Golden Griffins started fast, going up 4-0 – they would only score two more points in the match. 

The Flashes dominated the rest of the set, closing out the game on an 8-0 run. 

KSU won the final set 15-6, winning 3-2. 

Closing out the tournament, Kent State faced off against Niagara (1-7) on Saturday. 

KSU put up a fight to start, leading Niagara 7-6 at one point. This was the last time that Kent State had the lead in the first set. 

The Purple Eagles then pushed the score to 18-13 before the Flashes made another run back, making the score 18-16. 

Both teams went back and forth and were tied at 23-23, but Niagara closed out with two straight kills, winning the set 25-23. 

Niagara dominated the second set. NU took off early, taking a commanding 19-10 lead after a 9-2 run.

Kent State fought back, going on a three-point swing, making the score 22-15 in favor of NU. 

The Purple Eagles closed out the second set, scoring back-to-back points, making the final score 25-16. 

In the third and final set, the Flashes went on a 6-1 run. The score was now 16-14.

KSU kept applying the pressure and was up 20-19. 

The Purple Eagles clawed their way back from the deficit and won the final set 25-23, sweeping the game. 

This was the third time KSU has been swept this season.

Up Next 

Kent State will travel to Cleveland with a matchup against Cleveland State (5-4) at 6 p.m. Thursday. 

The Flashes are 3-3 all-time against the Vikings, winning their last matchup 3-0 on Sept. 15, 2022.
The home opener for Kent State will be Friday, in the M.A.C. Center against Youngstown State (4-5) at 4 p.m. 

KSU has won five consecutive games against the Penguins and is 7-1 all-time.

“We’re trying our hardest to schedule a tougher, non-conference being away and being in those challenging matches,” coach Haley Eckerman said. “It’s great to finally be back home, sleeping in our beds for a weekend, getting to be around our crowd, and just kind of finish the non-conference and start the conference strong.” 

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