The Kent State volleyball team lost a pair of games Friday and Saturday to the Buffalo Bulls — the team has lost 10 games in a row and is 1-13 on the year.

The Flashes started off on the wrong foot against the Bulls Friday, losing their first set 25-6, which included a 7-1 and a 7-0 run for Buffalo. The Flashes made the games progressively tighter for Buffalo but would finish Friday with the loss in straight sets (25-16, 25-23).  

“We have struggled with short term memory,” coach Haley Eckerman said. “We try to correct the previous mistake instead of trying to score.” 

It was not all error for the Flashes, as Eckerman noted the defense. 

“We had a good block,” Eckerman said. “We were able to work our defense around the block.” 

Another bright spot for the Flashes was junior setter Kendall White, who posted three kills, 30 assists and 20 digs in the two games against Buffalo.

“She does a good job of feeding who’s hot,” Eckerman said. 

White leads the team with 289 assists on the year. 

Leading the way in kills for the Flashes on Friday were junior Mackenzie McGuire and senior Anna Shoemake, both with four. White led the team in both digs and assists Friday with 13 and seven respectively. 

The Flashes would aim to swing the momentum their way on Saturday in a rematch against the Bulls but would lose in another sweep (25-18, 25-10, 25-19). Saturday marked the tenth time the Flashes were swept. 

The team has won two sets in the last eight games.

“We need to get where we are controlling what we can control and realizing some things can’t be controlled,” Eckerman said. 

One thing the Flashes have been able to control this year is battling against a deficit, with KSU battling from down 22-15 Friday and 23-15 Saturday to avoid the blowout. 

“The plus side about volleyball is that you get to start over 0-0 after each set,” Eckerman said. “Until those three sets are won, the game is anyone’s game.” 

McGuire led the Flashes in kills Saturday with six. White had a repeat of her stats on Saturday, posting 13 assists and seven digs. 

With her 10 kills, McGuire contributed to her team leading total of 93.

“We work really hard to get the ball to our outsides,” Eckerman said. 

Hitting percentage was an area of weakness for the Flashes in both games against the Bulls. The Flashes were out-hit Friday .030 to .393 and .053 to .283 on Saturday. 

“Our passing wasn’t great,” Eckerman said. 

The Flashes had 30 errors across the two games compared to the Bulls 24.

With the losses to the Bulls, the Flashes remain at the bottom of the Mid-American Conference. They remain winless in MAC play (0-4). 

The Flashes will travel to DeKalb, Ill. Thursday to take on the Northern Illinois University Huskies. The Huskies are 2-12 on the season, and the team is aiming to win its first game against a conference opponent this season. 

“We need to go in and just compete,” Eckerman said. 

Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.