The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Miami (Ohio)
Volleyball falls to Miami (Ohio) in three sets
October 11 | Women's Volleyball
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OXFORD, Ohio – Akron started the night off strong in the first set but could not maintain its grasp on the match in a 3-0 loss to Miami (Ohio) on the road Friday night, 26-24, 25-13, 25-22.
The Zips (6-10, 0-5 MAC) were unable to find their way around the top blocker in the Mid-American Conference in Paige Hill, who posted five block-assists and one solo block for the RedHawks (9-8, 1-4 MAC).
Julia Smagacz continued her hot streak offensively, leading both teams with 10 kills en route to a .261 hitting percentage. Amanda Bedell and Alex Cocklin each chipped in six kills on the night, while Kelsey Wilson followed up with five.
Akron out-dug Miami on the defensive end, 36-30, led by Jill Paluch with 12 digs.
The first set was tightly-contested from the beginning. UA scored first but would not hold a lead for long, as the score tied four times before Miami made it 7-all. Behind the serve of Karley Kusan, the Zips put up four straight points on kills from Bedell and Cocklin to go ahead 11-7 and cause a Miami timeout.
Another Cocklin kill made the score 12-8 in Akron's favor, but the RedHawks came surging back with a 5-0 run to make it 13-12.
Trailing 19-17, the Zips scored another four unanswered points, including a Wilson service ace, to regain the lead. Akron would get stuck with 22 points as Miami strung together four more scores for its first look at set point at 24-22. A RedHawk service error and another Bedell kill evened the score at 24, but that is as close as Akron would come to taking the first set.
Falling behind two sets to none, the Zips fought back in the third stanza. Keeping the margin to within four, Akron slowly chipped away using a few timely kills and taking advantage of Miami's errors at the net to cut the deficit to one at 16-15.
The RedHawks went on an 8-4 run late in the set, coming up on match point at 24-19. Akron forced the home team into three-straight errors to keep them on their toes, but a final Miami block ended the night.
Akron returns to the floor Saturday when it takes on Bowling Green (10-9, 4-1 MAC) at 7 p.m. at the Stroh Center. The Falcons defeated Buffalo in five sets on their home floor on Friday night.
