The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Eastern Michigan
Volleyball downs Eastern Michigan in four sets
October 19 | Women's Volleyball
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AKRON, Ohio – The University of Akron volleyball team got back on track Friday night with a commanding four set victory over Eastern Michigan, 25-14, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22.
The win was the Zips' first over a Mid-American Conference West Division team this season, and improves their record to 11-10 overall and 4-5 in league play.
Defense was the key to success for UA, as four players finished with double-digit digs for the third consecutive match. Jill Paluch and Chelsea Harvey blazed the trail with 19 and Ashley Holder set another personal-best mark in her young career with 18. Morgan Kuhn picked up 17 digs to go with 44 assists for her sixth double-double on the year.
Overall, Akron out-dug EMU 86-77, but the tenacity didn't stop in the back row. The Zips recorded 12 total team blocks, led by Tina Dimitrijevs' four solo and four assists.
UA's defensive prowess kept Eastern from finding any sort of rhythm, stifling the Eagles' offensive game plan and holding them to attack percentages under .100 in two out of the four sets.
In the hunt for career kill No. 1,000, Dimitrijevs is now at 988. She led Akron against EMU with 16 and is just 12 shy of the milestone.
Alex Cocklin and Paiton Twitty also delivered for the Zips offensively with 15 and 12 kills.
The first set laid the groundwork for the evening, when the Zips built an early lead that soon became untouchable. The period was highlighted by an 11-2 Akron run that included eight unanswered points. Cocklin, Dimitrijevs and Twitty traded points to maintain the Zips' 10-point cushion and cruise to a first set victory.
Eastern Michigan would answer in the second set but it would not be easy. The score tied nine times and the lead changed hands another four. Akron was able to force several opportune EMU errors to stay in the game down the stretch, but a one-point deficit at the 19-18 mark would grow just far enough out of reach for UA.
With the match tied at one, Dimitrijevs came out of the break and handed out five kills in the third set without an error for a .357 hitting percentage. Two of those kills came on back-to-back plays and gave the Zips a set point advantage, forcing an EMU timeout. The Eagles staved off defeat on the next play but could not bear down on the following Harvey kill that gave Akron the 2-1 overall advantage.
Although the fourth set saw the same score, there was never any question the Zips would ride their lead out until the end. As a team, they hit .213 in the final period to Eastern's .140.
Akron will look to carry its momentum into Saturday's match against Central Michigan. The 2011 MAC Tournament champions, CMU (12-8, 6-3 MAC) fell in four sets at Buffalo Friday night. First serve against the Chippewas is set for 5 p.m. at Rhodes Arena.
