Nov. 3, 2001
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio - Much like the meeting two weeks ago between Miami University's volleyball team and Kent State, the two teams battled in a hard-fought five-game match. Unlike the previous outcome, Miami came out on top, 30-19, 28-30, 23-30, 30-20 and 16-14 to improve to 11-10 overall and 8-6 in the Mid-American Conference. Kent State falls to 13-10 overall and 7-8 in the MAC.
In the first game, Miami posted an early 11-5 lead, initiated by three straight Jennifer Eaton (Cincinnati, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) kills. The RedHawks increased their lead to eight, 20-12, and continued to roll to a 30-19 win in the first set. Three RedHawks hit over .400, led by Kelly McCullough's (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson) .571 hitting percentage off four kills in seven attempts with no errors. Susan Poll (Grand Rapids, Mich./East Kentwood) posted a .500 hitting percentage, while Erika Eagan (Bloomington, Ill./Tri-Valley) notched a .429 hitting efficiency.
The second game was not so lop-sided and was a very tight throughout. Kent State posted a four-point lead, 22-18, midway through the set-its largest lead since the onset of the game. Miami managed to close the gap to one, 28-29, off a kill by Poll. The Golden Flashes, however, came away with the 30-28 win off Chantel Vineyard's kill.
After keeping things fairly close in the early stages of the third game, Miami fell behind by eight, 12-20. The RedHawks steadily climbed back into the set, highlighted by a pair of Poll kills, and pulled to within three, 21-24. The Golden Flashes posted six points to Miami's two down the stretch to take their second straight game, 30-23.
The fourth game was reminiscent of the first stanza, with Miami taking control early and maintaining throughout. The Red and White posted a 20-10 lead and continued to hold that lead, posting a 30-20 win in game four. Blocking was a key factor in the RedHawks' win, amassing 8.0 blocks to KSU's 2.0.
In the fifth game, the two teams traded points throughout much of the game. Miami owned an 8-6 lead at one point, but the Golden Flashes battled back to knot the game, and the two teams continued to trade points until Eaton and McCullough notched consecutive kills to ice the match, 16-14.
For Miami, Eaton produced a match-best and career-high 22 kills and also amassed 20 digs and five blocks. Eagan added two service aces and a career-high 28 digs. Poll also notched six blocks for the 'Hawks and 13 kills.
Kent State was led by Vinyard's and Sarah Kutschinski's 17 kills apiece. Vinyard also added 24 digs to her performance.
Miami returns to action next week playing at Ohio and Marshall on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Both matches start at 7 p.m.
