The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Ohio State
No. 25 Ohio State Defeats Akron 3-0 in Sports Imports Classic
September 17 | Women's Volleyball
Box Score (PDF)
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On the final day of the Sports Imports Classic, No. 25 Ohio State took down The University of Akron volleyball team 3-0 (9-25, 21-25, 17-25). The Zips (3-10) will now head into Mid-American Conference play next week.
Not at full strength due to several injuries, UA competed hard in the second and third sets and will use the experience gained from this weekend to battle in the MAC. Sophomore Alex Cocklin led the Zips with seven kills on 14 attempts and finished hitting .500 for the match. Alex Wiederholt added six kills, followed by Courtney Jarvis with four. Acting setter Chelsea Harvey notched 17 assists and eight digs, while libero Jill Paluch turned in nine digs. As a team, Akron hit .213 with 22 kills and six errors.
Akron started off slow to begin the match, as Ohio State (9-3) quickly went up 7-2. The Buckeyes held onto that lead and stretched it to 13-6 later in the set. A kill by Wiederholt from the left side made it 16-8, as each team traded the next few points. OSU took control of the set after that and was never really challenged, going on to take the 25-9 win.
In the more competitive second set, Ohio State went on an early run to open up a 9-4 advantage. With Akron trailing 12-7, Paiton Twitty notched an ace to pull the Zips within four. An OSU attack into the net later made it 13-10, as UA edged closer.
After a kill by Jarvis, Akron was down 18-14. A few points later, Wiederholt slammed back-to-back kills to make the score 22-19, OSU. Akron took the next point on a block to be down just two, but a long attack from Jarvis gave Ohio State a 23-20 lead. A Buckeye error gave the Zips the next point, but Akron was not able to capitalize, as OSU went on to claim the set, 25-21.
To begin the third, Ohio State again built an early lead, up 7-2. The margin later grew to 12-5, as Akron fought to stay in the set. A tip kill by Cocklin make it 17-9, but the Buckeyes continued to distance themselves. Wiederholt recorded her sixth kill of the match as the Zips tried to fight back, down 22-15. After a kill from Cocklin, Akron was down 24-17, but OSU ended it on the next point to put away the match.
Akron will begin MAC play on Thursday, Sept. 22, when it plays host to East division foe Buffalo at 7 p.m. ET at James A. Rhodes Arena.
