The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Cleveland State
Volleyball Prepares For Busy Week - Home Opener on Friday
September 02 | Women's Volleyball
AKRON, Ohio - Akron returns to the state of Ohio as the Blue and Gold travel to Cleveland State (Sept. 3) before coming home to James A. Rhodes Arena to host East Tennessee State (Sept. 5) and American (Sept. 6).
How To Follow The Action
Cleveland State (Sept. 3): Video | Stats
ETSU (Sept. 5): No Video | Stats
American (Sept. 6):Â No Video | Stats
Stat LeadersÂ
Akron: Kills: Maureen Mathews (54) | Assists: Martina Villani (86) | Points: Maureen Mathews (58) |Â Aces: Vanessa Del Real (5)Â | Digs: Vanessa Del Real (44) | Blocks: Two Tied (11)
Cleveland State: Kills: Bryn VanVleet (25) | Assists: Isabella Gibsons (38) | Points: Bryn VanVleet (25.5) |Â Aces: Vayda Delventhal (2)Â Digs: Vayda Delventhal (44) | Blocks: JeriLynn Koehler (5)
East Tennessee State: Kills: Makayla Bays (28) | Assists: Bailey Gohike (39) | Points: Makayla Bays (30) |Â Aces: Brianna Cantrell (4)Â Digs: Melanie Morris (18) | Blocks: Two Tied (6)
American: Kills: Salme Adleele Hollas (52) | Assists: Deniz Dakak (123) | Points: Salme Adleele Hollas (58.0) |Â Aces: Alexandra Ioannou (10)Â Digs: Bella Marrero (61) | Blocks: Elise Sterling (10)
A Look At The Series
Cleveland State: Akron Trails 25-20 | Norton vs Cleveland State: 1-5
First Played:1974 (Akron 1, Cleveland State 2)
Last Played: Sept. 20, 2024 (Akron, 1, Cleveland State 3)
East Tennessee State: Akron Trails 2-1 | Norton vs ETSU: First Meeting
First Played: Sept. 15, 1996 (Akron 3, ETSU 0)
Last Played: Sept. 28, 2015 (Akron 1, ETSU 3)
American: Akron Trail 3-0 | Norton vs American: First Meeting
First Played: Sept. 1, 2000 (Akron 0, American 3)
Last Played: Sept. 20, 2014 (Akron 0, American 3)
Common Opponents
Cleveland State: American (Patriot League), East Tennessee State (SoCon), NC State (ACC), Kent State (MAC), Northern Kentucky (Horizon), Green Bay (Horizon), Youngstown State (Horizon)
East Tennessee State: American (Patriot League), Cleveland State (Horizon League)
American: Cleveland State (Horizon League), East Tennessee State (SoCon), Army (Patriot League)
Zips At A Glance
The Zips come into the week with a 1-2 record that saw a pair of 5-set matches to begin the season.
Akron fell 3-2 in the season opener to NC State while taking a 3-2 victory over Green Bay on August 29.
Numerous Zips set career-highs at the Summit Hospitality Tournament, with Chidera Ozoh, Payton Evans, Delaney Gash, Martina Villani and Jaryn Morgan setting career bests.
Gash also recorded a pair of double-doubles while setting a career-high in digs (19) against Green Bay.
Maureen Mathews leads the Zips in kills (54) and points (58) while Martina Villani leads the way in assists (86) after setting a career-high in assists (37) against Green Bay. Vanessa Del Real leads the way in aces (5) and digs (44) while Lyndi Wolf and Chidera Ozoh share the lead for blocks (11).
Scouting Report
Cleveland State: Cleveland State comes into Wednesday's contest with a 0-3 record after falling to Colorado, Wyoming and Tulsa at the Wyoming Tournament to open the season. All three defeats were 3-0 results.
The Vikings were picked to finish fourth in the Horizon League Preseason Poll and will be the second of four Horizon League teams the Zips will face.
Bryn VanVleet leads CSU in Kills (25) and points (25.5) while Isabella Gibsons leads the way in assists (38). Vayda Delventhal leads the Vikings in aces (2) and digs (44) while JeriLynn Koehler leads the way in blocks (5).
Gibsons currently ranks sixth in the Horizon League in assists per set (5.43) while Delventhal is fourth in digs per set (4.89) and seventh in total digs (44).
East Tennessee State: The Bucs start the season with a 0-3 record after three straight 3-0 results at the South Carolina Tournament. Makayla Bays led the Bucs in kills all three matches.
ETSU returns to action on Friday, September 5, when it takes on American on the campus of Cleveland State before facing the Zips at the JAR later that night.
Picked to finish third in the SoConn in the Preseason Poll with 51 points, Brianna Cantrell and Whitley Rammel were named to the Preseason All-SoConn Team.
So far this season, Makayla Bays leads the Bucs in kills (28) and points (30). Bailey Gohike is the leader in assists (39) while Brianna Cantrell leads the way in aces (4) and Melanie Morris is the Bucs' leader in digs (18). Whitley Rammel and Gianna Blair are tied for the lead in blocks (6).
American: The Eagles enter the week with a 3-0 record to begin the 2025 season. Taking down George Mason, Georgetown and George Washington in the first week, the Eagles were led by Salme Adeele Hollas. Hollas averaged 4.33 kills per set to not only lead the team, but all players in the Patriot League so far. Her 4.83 points per set also ranks first, and her hitting percentage of .323 ranks fourth in the league.
American will host Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday before venturing to Ohio to first battle ETSU in Cleveland on Friday, while taking on the Zips on Saturday.
In the Patriot League Preseason Poll, American was picked to finish fourth while Zedo Yilmaz and Elise Sterling were named to the All-Patriot League Preseason Team. Bella Marrero was named the Preseason Libero of the Year.
Career Highs at the Summit Hospitality Tournament
- Chidera Ozoh set numerous career highs in kills (4) and blocks (6).
- Payton Evans set career highs in assists (18), aces (3) and digs (8).
- Delaney Gash set a new career high in digs (19).
- Martina Villani set a career high in assists (37).
- Jaryn Morgan set a career high in digs (13).
Milestones To Watch For
- Vanessa Del Real is 128 digs away from 1,000 as a Zip.
- Del Real is eight aces away from 100 in her career.
- Maureen Mathews is eight kills away from 500 career kills
- Mathews is 12 blocks away from 100 career blocks
- Martina Villani is 129 assists away from 500 as a Zip
Double-Doubles
Delaney Gash leads the Zips with two double-doubles in 2025.
Eliska Vytiskova led the Zips in double-doubles with 17 in 2024. Lauren Baker was second with 10 while Martina Villani ranked third with three. Gash recorded two and Karleighana Jones had one.
Among The Best In The NCAA
As a team, the Zips rank 69th in the NCAA in assists (140), 63rd in digs (177), 69th in kills (151) and 55th in total attacks (433).
Individually, Maureen Mathews ranks 64th in the NCAA in kills per set (4.15), 24th in total points (58), 95th in points per set (4.46) and 18th in total kills (54).Â
Leaders In The MACÂ
Akron ranks in the top-five in the MAC in total points (5th - 193), hitting % (5th - .201), total kills (5th - 151), total blocks (3rd - 25), blocks per set (4th - 1.92) and total digs (5th - 177).
Individually, the Zips see Martina Villani ranked 9th in total assists (86) and assists per set (6.62). Maureen Mathews is second in kills per set (4.41), third in total kills (54), fourth in total points (58) and fifth in points per set (4.46). Vanessa Del Real ranks seventh in total digs (44) and 10th in digs per set (3.38).
What's Next?
Akron heads to Richmond, Ky., to take part in the Geri Polvino Invitational on the campus of Eastern Kentucky from September 12-13.
