The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Troy
.jpg&height=300&type=webp)
Volleyball Defeated by Troy 3-0 in Final Match of Tournament
August 27 | Women's Volleyball
Box Score (PDF)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – In the final match of the UAB/Samford Invitational, The University of Akron volleyball team fell to Troy 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-23). The Zips fall to 0-3 after their opening weekend of play. Senior Courtney Jarvis led Akron with 11 kills and also added 10 digs. Freshman Kymberle Gordon had another solid outing, notching seven kills and finishing with a .250 hitting percentage.
Both the first and third sets were tight battles, including a comeback in the third by the Zips, but again Akron was unable to break through and claim a set. Troy finished the match with a .222 hitting percentage and 7.0 team blocks, while Akron hit .123 and notched 4.0 team blocks.
In the first set, Akron came out ready to play, scoring the first four points. The Zips struck first with an ace by Morgan Kuhn. They followed with a kill from the middle of the floor by Jarvis. Senior Tina Dimitrijevs added a pair of strikes to help UA to a 5-2 lead. The Trojans came back to even the score at 5-5 and then took three more consecutive points to gain an 8-5 advantage, forcing Akron to use a timeout.
Back-to-back kills by Alex Wiederholt and Jarvis brought Akron back to within two. A pair of kills by Gordon made it 11-10 in favor of Troy. A thundering kill by Dimitrijevs earned the sideout with Akron trailing 13-12, and Jarvis reclaimed the lead with two kills in a row from the left side.
Down 15-14, Troy tied it up again and took the lead on the next point. A string of errors put Troy ahead 18-15 as UA used another timeout. Out of the break, Wiederholt nailed a kill down the left sideline, but Troy answered on the next point to make to 19-16.
With a block at the net, Troy took a 21-17 lead late into the set. A Trojan error gave the Zips the serve, but UA could not string points together. Mary Delich earned a kill from the right side to make it 22-19, and Jarvis followed with a smash from the left to pull Akron within two and force Troy to call timeout.
With Troy ahead 23-20, Gordon got another kill, but Troy came back and scored the next point to earn set point. Jarvis kept it alive for one more point, but the Trojans then put the set away, winning 25-22.
Troy opened the second set with two aces, but Akron got on the board on the next point after good defense by Chelsea Harvey. After trailing 5-1 early, the Zips scored on a pair of kills to make it 5-3.
The Trojans kept it coming, though, extending their lead to 9-4 early in the set. Despite Akron's efforts, Troy claimed the next two points after long rallies to lead 11-4. Jarvis tipped a deep kill to the endline to help UA gain some momentum, and the Zips made it 11-6.
Alex Cocklin notched her first kill and Dimitrijevs followed with one of her own to make it 13-9. From the right, Delich hammered one home and a pair of Troy errors brought Akron to within two at 14-12.
The Zips got as close as 15-14, but Troy then surged ahead, winning the next seven points and taking a 22-14 advantage. The Zips finally ended the run with a kill but again could not win consecutive points. Gordon slammed an attack that made it 23-16, and Cocklin immediately added another to the board, but Troy captured the set on the next two points to win 25-17.
In the third set, Troy took an early 4-1 lead. A kill by Wiederholt added a point for Akron, as the Zips were able to make it 5-4, Troy. A kill by setter Jill Paluch tied it up on the next point, and Ua took its first lead on the serve of Wiederholt. With Akron leading 7-5, the Trojans countered with the next three points to regain the lead at 8-7.
Gordon chipped in a solo block to again even the score, and Cocklin dished out a kill on the next point to make it 9-8 in favor of the Zips. Neither team was able to make a run as both sides continued to trade points.
Troy then began to pull away with a 14-10 lead, but another kill from Cocklin stopped the Trojan streak momentarily. With Akron trailing 16-12, Gordon hit a monster kill from the left side, but Troy took the next four points to widen the gap. After a solo block by Troy, Akron trailed 21-15 until Jarvis recorded a deep kill. Cocklin and Dimitrijevs then combined for a block, and a Jarvis ace pulled the Zips to within three, forcing Troy to call a timeout.
Out of the break, Akron's serve went long to make it 22-18, Troy. The Zips took the next three points to be down just 22-21. Jarvis landed one in the far corner two points later as the score stood 23-22. After a long rally, a Dimitrijevs attack fell just short to give Troy match point. Wiederholt answered with a kill to make it 24-23. On the final point, an Akron block attempt went long and Troy claimed the set, 25-23.
Akron will be back in action on Tuesday, Aug. 30 at Cleveland State at 7 p.m. ET.
