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Zips Split First Day of the Summit Hospitality Tournament
August 29 | Women's Volleyball
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Akron volleyball team split the first day of the Summit Hospitality Tournament with a 3-2 loss to NC State and a 3-2 victory over Green Bay.
Game 1 at NC State
The Zips lost 3-2 (13-25, 25-23, 25-20, 18-25, 12-15) to the NC State Wolfpack on Friday on the road at Reynolds Coliseum to open the 2025 season.
The non-conference loss moved Akron to 0-1 on the season.
The Zips were led by a double-double from Delaney Gash, who registered 14 kills and 10 digs on the day. Maureen Mathews added 13 kills and Jordyn Aeschliman supplied 11 kills to help the attack. Martina Villani led the Blue and Gold in assists with 27, while Payton Evans added 18.
On the defensive end, Vanessa Del Real chipped in 15 digs while Jaryn Morgan (12) and Gash followed close behind. Chidera Ozoh led the Zips with a career-high four blocks while Lyndi Wolf, Gabby Brissett and Mathews all recorded three.
Game Notes
» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Akron had three players in double figures in digs.
» Evans and Del Real had a match-high three aces in the loss.
» Gash registered a double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs
» Gash had a match-high 14 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a team-high 15 digs from Del Real.
» Akron attackers were helped by a team-high 27 assists from Villani.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Zips found themselves in an early hole, dropping a tough first set 25-13. Akron trailed by as many as 12 points as NC State grabbed the advantage for good at 6-5 in a set that was tied up five times before the Wolfpack took control.
SET 2 | Akron responded to pick up a 25-23 victory in set two, evening the match at one set apiece. The Zips survived a back-and-forth set to win in a stanza that featured three lead changes and was tied 11 times. Neither team led by more than four points along the way. The Akron offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza.
SET 3 | Akron built on that second-set success with a victory in set number three to open up a lead at two sets to one. The Zips took the set 25-20, powered by a solid showing on the attacking end. Akron registered a .393 attack percentage with 14 kills in the set win. The Zips ended on a strong note, stretching their lead to its largest point in the set to finish out the stanza. The Akron offense also got a boost from four aces in the stanza.
SET 4 | Akron couldn't keep the win streak alive, as the Wolfpack forced a fifth set with a 25-18 fourth-set win. The Zips trailed by as many as eight points as NC State grabbed the advantage for good at 13-12 as Akron wasn't able to recover in a set that was tied up eight times before the Wolfpack took over.
SET 5 | Akron opened a lead of two sets to one before falling in the final two sets, including a 15-12 loss in the fifth set. The Zips dropped a back-and-forth set five, losing in a stanza that featured two lead changes and was tied eight times. Neither team led by more than three points in the set.
Game 2 vs Green Bay
The Akron volleyball team knocked off the Green Bay Phoenix 3-2 (25-18, 25-23, 20-25, 22-25, 15-9) Friday at Reynolds Coliseum to conclude the first day of the Summit Hospitality Tournament.
The non-conference victory improved Akron's overall record to 1-1 on the season.
The Zips were led by Mathews' 25 kills and a double-double from Gash, who registered 16 kills and 19 digs on the day. Villani recorded a career-high 37 assists to help the Akron offense. On the defensive end, Gash led the Blue and Gold in digs with 19 while Jaryn Morgan and Del Real chipped in with 13. Lyndi Wolf paced the Zips with six blocks.
Game Notes
» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Akron had three players in double figures in digs.
» Evans, Morgan, Villani and Gash all recorded an ace in the win.
» Gash registered a double-double with 16 kills and 19 digs
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-18.
» Mathews had a match-high 25 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a match-high 19 digs from Gash.
» Akron attackers were helped by a team-high 37 assists from Villani.
How It Happened
SET 1 | The Zips won the first point and never trailed to win the first set 25-18. Akron led by nine points at 19-10 before closing out the set. Akron also supplemented its offense with three aces in the opening set.
SET 2 | Akron built on a set-one win by earning a 25-23 victory in set two. The Zips took the lead for good at 16-15 in a set that didn't have a lead change before the Zips took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | Green Bay avoided a sweep with a set-three victory to make it a 2-1 match. The Zips came up short by the score of 25-20. Green Bay grabbed the advantage for good at 15-14 in a set that was knotted up 10 times before the Phoenix took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 4 | Akron then dropped their second straight set 25-22 to bring the match level at two sets apiece. The Zips couldn't hang on in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured four lead changes and was tied 10 times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way.
SET 5 | Akron needed five sets to take the match. After they grabbed a two-set-to-none lead, Green Bay responded to take the third and fourth sets before the Zips finished off their victory with a 15-9 fifth-set win. The Zips grabbed control of the set-five lead at 4-3 and never looked back. Akron ended strong, opening its biggest lead of the stanza, six points, to close out the set, totaling nine kills in the process.
What's Next?
Akron concludes the Summit Hospitality Tournament on Saturday, August 30, against the Army Black Knights at 12 p.m.
