Kent State’s women’s volleyball had a busy week, defeating Cleveland State (7-5) on Thursday and losing to Youngstown State (5-7) in the home opener. 

The match against the Vikings went the distance, with the Flashes walking away with the win after five sets. 

CSU started quickly, with the team jumping out to a 5-0 run to start the game. KSU closed the gap, making the score 14-10 in Cleveland State’s favor.

The Vikings then went on a 9-2 run to increase the gap between the two sides and ended up walking away with a first-set win, 25-14. 

In the second set, Kent State was able to find its stride and get back into the match. 

The team went on a 13-4 run to start the game and continued with this momentum throughout the set. KSU was up 22-13 before the Vikings went on a five-point swing to make it 22-18. 

However, the Flashes were able to close out the set confidently, winning 25-20. 

Set three was another where Cleveland State was able to get out early and make a statement, going on a 10-3 run. 

Kent would get outscored 15-8 to end the set, with CSU taking a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The fourth set was even on both sides, with both teams’ scores going over the 25-point threshold and into the thirties to achieve match point. 

The final score ended with Kent winning at 35-33, tying the match 2-2 and forcing the fifth and final set to be played. 

The Vikings and the Flashes went back and forth throughout the set. The biggest lead didn’t come until the end when KSU went on a 5-0 run to finish the match and secure the win 15-10.  

Kent State sophomore setter Kendall White led the team in assists (44) and digs (18). 

As a team, the Flashes totaled 56 kills and 79 digs; the Vikings totaled 51 kills and 76 digs. 

Friday

Going into the home opener for the Flashes, coach Haley Eckerman was looking forward to the team being able to play at home. 

“Part of the energy we had was from us coming off of a great win on Thursday,” she said. 

“It’s always great to be home,” Eckerman said. “We had been away for three weeks playing, and to finally be home and be in front of our crowd gave us energy.” 

Kent State started fast and went ahead 11-4 against Youngstown State. 

KSU continued in the first set and had a commanding 18-9 lead before the Penguins went on a run to make the score 20-14 in Kent’s favor. 

The Flashes finished the set strong and won the first set 25-18. 

In the second set, KSU started fast again, taking a 7-2 lead. 

YSU bounced back and made the set close after out-scoring Kent 13-8 to make the score 17-15 in Kent’s favor.

The rest of the set remained back and forth until the last points were scored. 

Youngstown State was able to complete the comeback and win the set 26-24, evening the match at 1-1.

The third set was even, with the biggest lead for either side being five points. 

Youngstown State went on a run to seal the set for them, ending on a 9-2 run to take the second set and increase their lead to 2-1 on the match. 

In the fourth set, the Penguins got out to an early 6-4 lead on the Flashes before KSU went on a five-point swing to take the lead. 

The game continued to go back and forth until YSU went on a run of its own and took a 21-16 lead before ultimately winning the set with a score line of 25-21. 

“The only thing that matters when it comes down to it is who wins and loses,” Eckerman said. “We outplayed them in this stat or that one, but even though we did, we have to make sure that we can close out games.” 

Sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire had a remarkable performance throughout the match and had a career-high 28 kills throughout the four sets of the match. Maguire accounted for 46% of the team’s total number of kills throughout the match and achieved her season-best .408 hitting percentage. 

Up Next 

Kent State will stay home to take on Buffalo (10-2) on Friday at 6 p.m. and Saturday at 4 p.m. for their first Mid-American Conference matches of the season. Both games will be held at the M.A.C. Center. 

KSU is 3-3 in its last six matchups with the Bulls, losing the previous two games. 

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