The Kent State volleyball team moved to 1-18 after losing to the Ohio Bobcats in four sets (25-23, 25-13, 25-15, 25-19) in an away game Tuesday. The Flashes have lost 15 in a row dating back to Sept. 6.
The Flashes traveled to the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio, to take on fellow Mid-American Conference opponent Ohio. The Bobcats have experienced similar struggles as the Flashes, as the Bobcats carried a losing record of 8-11 heading into Tuesday’s match against KSU and had a 4-4 record against MAC opponents.
The Bobcats opened the game claiming two sets, with set one being a lot closer for the Flashes than set two.
The Flashes battled OU point-for-point in set one and even held a lead as large as 11-5 before ultimately losing, which was a stark difference from a set two that the Bobcats dominated – OU went on an 11-1 run in the set.
“Ohio is a very fast team,” said coach Haley Eckerman. “We played into their system (in the first two sets), and we can’t let them control the game.”
The Flashes would not be denied in set three, where the Flashes took off after leading 5-4 and embarking on a 10-2 run. The Flashes would claim set three on a kill by junior outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire, by a score of 25-15.
Set four began similarly to set three, but it was the Bobcats taking off after battling instead of the Flashes. Both teams would fight until the Bobcats would take a 14-13 lead before OU would go on a commanding 8-0 run that would become an 11-6 to seal the victory.
“We were all over the place,” Eckerman said. “We second guess ourselves sometimes, and we don’t always trust the system.”
McGuire continued her season-long offensive dominance Tuesday, posting a team-leading 14 kills and was one dig shy of a double-double. She leads the Flashes in kills for the season with 149.
Junior setter Kendall White led the Flashes in assists with 33 while also leading the team in digs with 11. White leads the team in assists this year with 425 and is second in digs with 155.
“Our middles, especially Nadia (Miller), played very well,” Eckerman said. “She did a good job at moving the block around.”
The Flashes committed 11 fewer errors than the Bobcats in Tuesday’s loss. They were also outhit by only 14%.
With the loss to Ohio, the Flashes remain winless in MAC play at 0-9. They remain at the bottom of the conference standings.
The Flashes will travel to the Stroh Center in Ohio Friday for game one of a two-game weekend slate against the Bowling Green Falcons. The Falcons are 12-8 on the year (7-2 in conference play) and won their last game against Akron in a sweep.
“They’re beatable,” Eckerman said. “We have to play our game and not focus on them instead of focusing on us.”
Gage Wellman is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected] or @GageWellmanKSTV on X.
