The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Northern Illinois
Volleyball gives Northern Illinois a scare, falls 3-1
October 19 | Women's Volleyball
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AKRON, Ohio – Akron put together a dominating performance in the first set, and nearly pulled off a late upset in the fourth, but the effort fell short in a 3-1 loss to Northern Illinois on Saturday (15-25, 25-16, 25-19, 25-23).
Kelsey Wilson delivered a match-high 15 kills with only a single error to hit .500 on the night, while Alex Cocklin notched her fourth double-double of the year with 13 kills and 14 digs for UA (6-13, 0-8).
Cocklin was one of three Zips to finish with double-digit digs, as Jill Paluch added 13 and Tori Lanzillotti picked up 10 to help the Zips out-dig NIU, 56-50.
Ashley Holder kept the offense running smoothly and was just one assist shy of her career-high with 42.
Northern Illinois (12-10, 4-4) was paced by Mackenzie Roddy (14 kills, 12 digs) and Sarah Angelos (12 kills).
Akron started the night off on a tear, exploding for a 10-2 run early in the first set that featured a string of seven-straight points. A pair of kills from Wilson and Cocklin and a service ace from Mary Delich gave the Zips a comfortable cushion after a Northern Illinois timeout.
A Huskie block cut the deficit to four at 14-10 in the Zips' favor, but Northern would not get any closer than that. Akron enjoyed a 5-1 run late in the set to build a 22-13 lead, taking advantage of NIU's miscues on the offensive end.
UA wasted no time taking a 1-0 lead in the match, scoring on the last two plays of the first on a Julia Smagacz kill and a Holder service ace. The Zips out-hit the Huskies .394 to .103 in the first period.
After the Zips struggled to find their footing in the middle two sets, the fourth set proved to be anyone's game, with 13 ties and six lead changes.
Neither team was able to fully break away until NIU pulled ahead at 19-15 on an Akron error. The Zips answered by scoring three straight points, sparked by a kill from Julie Shallman, who was brought in off the bench and had a positive impact in the middle for UA.
The difference fluctuated between two and three points until NIU had its first glimpse at match point. A Wilson kill and an ace from Lanzillotti on the ensuing plays put pressure on the Huskies with the score at 24-23, but they were able to muster a final kill coming out of a timeout to take the match.
Akron returns to the road next weekend for a MAC West road trip, traveling to Eastern Michigan on Friday, Oct. 25, and Central Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 26. Both matches are slated to start at 7:00 p.m. ET.
