Senior Savannah Matthews became the 15th member of Kent State's 1,000-kills club on Friday evening during a 3-0 (15-25, 13-25, 23-25) setback at Central Michigan.
Matthews led the Golden Flashes (10-6, 1-4 MAC) in nearly every statistical category with 15.5 points, 13 kills, 13 digs, three blocks and one service ace. Freshman Mia Soerensen added nine kills and graduate student Alex Haffner logged a double-double with 22 assists and 10 digs.
Kent State struggled to find its offensive rhythm and finished with season-low marks of 33 kills and a .103 hitting percentage, as the Chippewas' front row totaled 15 blocks.
How it Happened…
Set 1: Central Michigan broke away with a seven-point service run, which included three aces, by Claire Ammeraal. Kent State took three of the following four points to get within six, but the Chippewas closed with a 7-3 run.
Set 2: A slow start saw the Golden Flashes trail by as many as 14 points, but a late 3-1 run helped build momentum going into the break.
Set 3: A 4-1 lead allowed Kent State to play from ahead for the first time before falling behind by as many as three points. Strong serving and improved blocking allowed the Flashes to take a 21-19 lead. The Chippewas won the next three points before Savannah Matthews and Sadie Wright team for a block to make it 22-22. CMU scored the next two points and closed the match out with a 25-23 victory.
Up Next for the Flashes
Kent State concludes a stretch of four straight road matches on Saturday at Eastern Michigan. First serve is scheduled for 4 p.m
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