The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Saint Francis
Akron Heads to Michigan for Three Games
September 12 | Women's Volleyball
What's HappeningÂ
Akron travels to the state of Michigan to battle Saint Francis and Michigan in Ann Arbor on September 13 before facing Sacramento State in Rochester Hills on September 14.
How to Watch
Saint Francis: Stats
Michigan: TV (B1G+)Â | Stats
Sacramento State: Stats
Stat Leaders
Akron: Kills: Lauren Baker (87) | Assists: Eliska Vytiskova (158) | Points: Lauren Baker (103.5) | Aces: Two Tied (8) | Digs: Vanessa Del Real (91) | Blocks: Karleighana Jones (30.0)
Saint Francis: Kills: Maggie Hogan (91) | Assists: Alexandra Sappia (138) | Points: Maggie Hogan (104.0) | Aces: Two Tied (14) | Digs: Maggie Hogan (66) | Blocks: Alyssa Irwin (15.0)
Michigan: Kills: Allison Jacobs (83) | Assists: Morgan Blake (221) | Points: Allison Jacobs (89.0) | Aces: Valentina Vaulet (19) | Digs: Maddi Cuchran (101) | Blocks: Serena Nyambio (24.0)
Sacramento State: Kills: Bridgette Smith (108) | Assists: Kate Doorn (158) | Points: Bridgette Smith (121) | Aces: Caitlin Volkmann (11) | Digs: Bridgette Smith (79) | Blocks: Ashlynn Archer (22.0)
A Look At The Series
St. Francis: This will be the 18th all-time meeting between Akron and the Red Flash. The Zips currently hold a 15-2 edge in the series with the Blue and Gold winning 3-0 to begin the 2021 season at the Youngstown State Tournament. The last time Akron lost to St. Francis was in 2017 when the Red Flash won 3-1.
Michigan: Akron will be facing Michigan for just the fourth time in program history. The Zips are currently 1-2 against the Wolverines, with the only win coming in the 1990 season when Arkon won 3-1 (15-9, 11-15, 15-9, 15-13). Michigan picked up the most recent victory on September 9, 2005, when it won 3-0.
Sacramento State: The Zips will be facing Sacramento State for just the second time. The Zips fell 1-3 to the Hornets in 1995 in the NIVC Tournament.
Common Opponents
Saint Francis: Sacramento State (Big Sky), Oakland (Horizon League), Eastern Michigan (Mid-American), Mercyhurst (NEC)
Michigan: Kent State (Mid-American), Eastern Michigan (Mid-American), Sacramento State (Big Sky), Oakland (Horizon League)
Sacramento State: Saint Francis (NEC), Michigan (B1G), Oakland (Horizon)
Zips At A Glance
Akron is coming off a 3-0 victory over Mercyhurst on September 10. The Zips held the Lakers to 12 points in the first two sets before winning 25-11 in the third.
Lauren Baker (12), Emanouela Christodoulou (11) and Gabby Brissett (10) all recorded double-figures in kills against Mercyhurst while the trio all hit above .400. Akron also saw seven blocks come from Karleighana Jones while the Zips recorded eight service aces in the match. Eliska Vytiskova recorded a match-high 19 assists in the win.
The Zips have three players with 50 or more kills this season, with Baker leading the group with 87. Christodoulou is second with 72 and Brissett is third on the squad with 62. Vytiskova is leading the Zips in assists with 158 while Martina Villani is second with 88. Jones leads Akron in blocks with 30 (1.5 per set) while Bakers is second with 17.
Baker is currently fourth in the MAC in kills per set (3.63). fourth in total kills and second in total points. Vytiskova is sixth in assists per set (6.58) and fifth in total assists while Jones is first in blocks per set (1.50) and tied for second in total blocks (30).
Scouting Report
Saint Francis: The Red Flash are currently 3-4 overall after falling to Sacramento State on Thursday. Saint Francis picked up a pair of wins in the Red Flash Classic when it defeated Penn 3-1 while taking down Siena 3-0. The Red Flash won three consecutive games after starting the season 0-3 before falling to the Hornets in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Maggie Hogan leads the Red Flash in kills (91), points (104) and digs (66). Drew Wallech and Alexandra Sappia lead Saint Francis in aces with 14 each while Sappia is the leader in assists with 138. Alyssa Irwin is the Red Flash's leader in blocks with 15.
The Red Flash were picked to finish first in the Northeast Conference preseason poll.
Michigan: The Wolverines are currently 6-0 overall as they get set to host Sacramento State on September 12 at 7 pm. Half of Michigan's wins have come via 3-0 decisions while two have been 3-1 victories. The Maize and Blue recently picked up a 3-1 victory over Notre Dame at the Mississippi State StarkVegas Classic. After falling 25-20 in the first set, Michigan took the next three for the win. Akron will be the third Mid-American Conference team Michigan will face this season, with the Wolverines defeating Kent State twice while dropping Eastern Michigan earlier in the season.Â
Allison Jacobs leads Michigan in kills (83) and points (89.0) while ranking fourth in the B1G in kills, seventh in total points and eighth in kills per set (3.77). Morgan Burke is the leader in assists with 221 on the season and is currently third in total assists and seventh in assists per set (10.05). Valentina Vaulet leads Michigan and the B1G in aces with 19 and aces per set (.86). Serena Nyambiois is 12th in the conference in total blocks with 24.0 and leads the Maize and Blue.
Sacramento State: The Hornets are 4-3 overall after defeating Saint Francis in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Thursday. Sacramento State won 3-0 and took the third set 25-12. The Hornets had won three straight games before losing to UC Davis 3-1 on September 10. Sacramento State is led by Bridgette Smith in kills (108), points (121) and digs (79). Kate Doorn is the leader in assists while Caitlin Volkmann leads the squad with 11 aces.
The Hornets were selected to finish third in the Big Sky Conference preseason poll. The selection is the highest for the program since the 2019 squad was also picked third. Sacramento State is the defending Big Sky Conference regular season champion after posting a 22-12 overall record and 13-3 conference mark. The Hornets have won at least 10 conference matches four straight, and eight of the last nine years.
What's Next?
The Zips stay on the road when it battles Cincinnati on Tuesday, September 17.
