Zips Earns Sweep on Final Day of Akron Invitational

Saturday, September 14

Akron, Ohio

12:30 PM

University of Akron

5-2

Eastern Kentucky

5-5

Eastern Ky.

Akron

Zips Earns Sweep on Final Day of Akron Invitational

September 14 | Women's Volleyball

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AKRON, OHIO – The Akron volleyball team earned a sweep on the final day of the Akron Invitational, defeating both Eastern Kentucky and Seton Hall in three sets.

The Zips earned a clean 3-0 sweep in the invitational and improved to 5-4 on the season.

In the win over Eastern Kentucky, Akron was led on offense by senior Ashley Richardson (Doylestown, Ohio), who finished with 10 kills and hit an astounding .600 on the match. Also contributing were junior Alexis Adleta (West Chester, Ohio), and senior Elya Karsner (Frankfort, Ky.) who finished with 9 and 8 kills, respectively. Junior Emily Weigand (Burton, Ohio) had a team-best 33 assists, while defensively Taylor Sharrits (Concord, Ohio) led the way with 11 digs.

The Zips carried its momentum from day one into day two, gaining an early 5-1 lead, forcing Eastern Kentucky to call its first timeout. The Zips were able to maintain the lead for the duration of the set, thanks to solid play on both sides of the ball.

The Zips were able to take the first set 25-16, thanks to a four-point service run by Adleta, which included two kills by junior Shelby Fulmer (Perrysburg, Ohio) and two errors from the opponents.

The second set was identical to the first, as Akron found itself ahead 5-1 early, capped off with a kill by Karsner. After a few short runs, the Zips were able to extend the score to 19-7 and coast to an easy second set win.

Akron once again found itself ahead 5-1 in the third set, thanks in large part to the struggling offense of the Colonels. A kill by Adleta and a block by Richardson eventually put them ahead, 9-2.

The Colonels, however, would not go down without a fight. After nearly going point-for-point to extend the score to 20-10 in favor Akron, Eastern Kentucky were able to rattle off four consecutive points of its own, decreasing the deficit to just six, (20-14).

After each team traded a couple points, a five-point run narrowed the deficit even further, with the Colonels now only down by two, 21-19. The Zips, however, stood its ground and went on to take the final set, 25-22, thanks to a match-deciding kill by Richardson.

"We continued to have the upper hand in serve and pass again today, which is always a goal of ours. We did a nice job siding out for the most part and were fairly consistent in getting them out of system. Hopefully we'll be able to continue our solid serve and pass tonight against Seton Hall" said coach Tom Hanna.

Against Seton Hall, Richardson led for the second straight game, recording 13 kills and 0 errors (.542). Akron also saw contributions from Adleta and Karsner who finished with 10 and 8 kills, respectively. Weigand dished out 37 assists to her strong hitters. Defensively, the Zips were stout, finishing with 11 blocks, including 3 by Weigand and 2 and a half by Richardson.

The Zips jumped out of the gate early, gaining an early 6-2 lead over the Pirates. Both teams were evenly matched and fought hard, however the aggressive Zips' offense, accompanied by stellar defense made every point a battle.

The Pirates were able to gain some ground and tie the game at 16, and eventually again at 18. After a kill by Richardson gave Akron the lead, Karsner was able to serve up a five-point run, which included blocks on three of those points as well as an ace. A kill by Adleta put the first set away, 25-19.

The second set was another battle for both teams. The Pirates were able to find a groove early and attain a 7-3 lead over Akron, forcing them to call its first timeout. Out of the timeout, a four-point run by the Zips knotted the score at seven.

From there, the match saw Akron hold a consistent two-point lead over its opponent, eventually bringing the score to 21-20 in favor of the Zips. Kills by Kelly, Weigand and Fulmer, as well as an ace, propelled the Zips to take the second set, 25-20.

The third set followed suit of the first two, as neither team led by more than four points throughout the set. The Pirates were able to maintain a lead for the first half of the set, however an attack error by the Pirates eventually put Akron up 16-15.

The game was once again tied at 16, until another error by Seton Hall put the Zips up by one, as they would not look back, eventually taking the final set, 25-22.

"It was nice to see serve and pass be more dominant this weekend. Our pin hitting is steadily improving and, when combined with a great performance by Richardson, our offense is a little more threatening" said Tom Hanna on his team's performance in the invitational.

The Zips are back in action on Friday, Sept. 20, as they head to Grand Forks, N.D. to compete in the UND Classic. They will take on Eastern Washington and North Dakota on Friday, followed by a match against Lamar on Saturday, Sept. 21.