Volleyball finishes Maryland Invitational with 2-2 record

Stephen Means

Kent State ultimately finished 2-2 over the weekend at the Maryland Invitational.

The team started out hot in its final matchup against Maryland (4-0) before losing 3-1 (25-19, 15-25, 21-25, 21-25).

“Overall, I am pleased with how our team performed today and the weekend as a whole,” said head volleyball coach Don Gromala in a press release. “We made some adjustments and mixed our lineup up a little after dropping the first set to Duquesne, and it really seemed to work out. We really like our depth and it allows us to experiment with different combinations on the floor.”

Senior Bridget Wilhelm was given all-tournament honors for her performance. She finished with a hitting percentage of .424 along with 2.47 kills per set, 10 blocks, 10 digs and three aces.

Here’s how the team fared on Saturday’s slate of competition:

Game 1: Kent State 3, Duquesne 1 (18-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-21)

Sophomore outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger posted a game-high 10 kills.

Wilhelm added 12 kills on .435 hitting. Junior Drew Norberg contributed eight kills and a team-high of five blocks. Junior Katarina Kojic had 30 assists.

Game  2: Maryland 3, Kent State 1 (25-19, 15-25, 21-25, 21-25)

Senior opposite Kelly Hutchison led the Flashes with 20 kills and four blocks. Kojic tallied a season-high 37 assists.

Kent State will play its home opener against Indiana State (2-1) as part of the Golden Flashes Classic Friday, September 4 at 5 p.m.

Contact Stephen Means at [email protected]