UAlbany Volleyball Takes Down Indiana State in Four to Tie for First in Golden Flashes Classic
UAlbany-Kent State: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
UAlbany-Indiana State: Box Score | Box Score (PDF)
KENT, Ohio – After falling in a five-set thriller to Kent State (16-25, 34-32, 25-27, 25-15, 15-17), the UAlbany volleyball team recovered and defeated Indiana State in four (25-23, 25-18, 19-25, 25-23) to earn a share of first place in the Golden Flashes Classic.
UAlbany (3-3) finishes 2-1 in the tournament to share the top spot with Indiana State (5-2), which also went 2-1. Mikala McCauley and Laini Leindecker were named to the All-Tournament Team.
On the day, Shannon Hurley hit .267 with 38 kills and four total blocks, including 21 kills in the win over Kent State (3-3). Leindecker earned a double-double with 16 kills and 22 digs vs. Kent State, finishing with 25 kills and 33 digs on the day. McCauley had double-doubles each match, combining for 89 assists, 25 digs and seven kills. Amanda Dolan earned 15 kills and 12 total blocks.
For Kent State against UAlbany, Kelly Hutchison tallied 32 kills and 15 digs. Kelsey Bittinger had 21 kills and 23 digs, while Katarina Kojic finished with 70 assists and 13 digs.
Bree Spangler hit .301 with 17 kills and 14 digs for Indiana State against UAlbany. Kynedi Nalls had 13 kills and four blocks.
Nicole Otero got off to a strong serving start with two aces in set one against the tournament host. After a Kelsey Bittinger kill, UAlbany took five of the next six points, including kills from Tatum Jungsten and Hurley, to take a 7-2 lead. Kent State went on a 6-0 run, capped by three Kelly Hutchison kills, to go up 8-7. A service error tied the set, then KSU took the lead again with three-straight points. A Hurley solo block stopped the run as UAlbany tried to come back. The two sides kept exchanging points until at 19-14, KSU got the next four, including two more Hutchison kills, for a 23-14 advantage. A KSU service error and a Dolan kill helped UAlbany get two points back, but the Great Danes could not make up the deficit and fell 25-16 in the first set.
Set two turned into a long, grueling battle. At 5-5, San Jones served the home team to a 5-0 run for a 10-5 Kent State lead. UAlbany countered, and at 11-7, a Hurley kill sent Gabrielle Hansen back to serve. Helped by two Dolan blocks, Hansen served UAlbany into the lead at 12-11. After a couple of exchanges, UAlbany used a 3-0 spurt to go up 16-13, later leading 20-16. Kent State, with a couple of kills, got the next three to pull within one. UAlbany held the lead and rebuilt it to three at 23-20. A kill and block pulled Kent State within one again, with a Jungsten kill making it 24-22 for set point. Hutchison got two kills to make it 24-24 as the back and forth began. Each side kept exchanging kills as UAlbany would get set point and Kent State would defend. A Challen Geraghty ace switched the roles as Kent State twice got a set point chance, and UAlbany defended twice, the last on a Dolan kill. Otero went back to serve and notched an ace to put UAlbany back up by one. The exchanges continued, when at 32-32, Jungsten earned a kill to set up set point. The senior team captain finished it herself with an ace, giving UAlbany the 34-32 win in set two and tying the match.
Into the third set, Kent State took an early 5-2 lead off Kojic's serving, later leading 7-3. Following a Jungsten kill, Paula Pinto served UAlbany to pull the team within one. The teams traded points when at 10-9, kills from Bittinger and Drew Norberg helped make the score 13-9 KSU, using another 3-0 run to lead 16-10. Down 21-16, Engstrom called a timeout to strategize a comeback attempt. UAlbany responded with kills from Hurley, McCauley and Dolan to pull within two. At 23-20, again the UAlbany front row powered forward with kills from Hurley, Dolan and Leindecker in succession to tie the set at 23-23. Kent State got a couple of set points, with Leindecker earning kills to defend both. But on try three, an Amber Gerdeman ace sealed the set for Kent State 27-25 for a 2-1 match lead.
Using kills from three different players and a Leindecker ace, UAlbany began the fourth set with an 8-3 advantage. At 12-7, Bittinger's serving helped KSU pull to within a pair. Bittinger's service error sent Otero back to serve. In order, a Lamb kill, an Otero ace, a Leindecker kill, and a Lamb kill completed a 5-0 run and built UAlbany's lead to 17-10. Leindecker helped seal it, earning a kill and going back to serve five-straight times, helped by a kill and block by Hurley, for a 5-0 run. UAlbany earned a 25-15 set win and forced a tiebreaker.
Two Bittinger kills helped Kent State build an early 5-2 lead in the final set. McCauley earned another dump kill to end that run as the team exchanged points. Kills by Leindecker and McCauley in a row pulled UAlbany to within one at 7-6. Kent State got five of the next six, including two Bittinger kills, to go up 12-7. UAlbany stopped the streak with kills from Jungsten and Leindecker, with a Bridget Wilhelm kill making it 13-9 home team. UAlbany kept fighting, with a Hurley kill and two KSU attack errors pulling the Great Danes within one. Another Wilhelm kill made it 14-12 Kent State. UAlbany put together one last run, with a Hurley kill and Hutchison attack error ending Kent State's match point chances, and a Dolan solo block setting up match point for UAlbany. The tables turned one final time as Hutchison earned two kills in a row, then blocked a Hurley attack to give the set to Kent State 17-15. Kent State took the match 3-2.
UAlbany returned to the MAC Center to take on Indiana State. In game one, UAlbany took four of the first five points, including a couple of Hurley kills. After a Carly Wishlow kill, Leindecker contributed three kills on a 5-0 run to give UAlbany a 9-2 advantage. The two sides kept exchanging points as Indiana State slowly started to make up its deficit. At 17-11, ISU won five of the next six, with three kills, to make it 18-16 UAlbany. UAlbany held a lead as the sides traded points, when at 22-20, an attack error brought ISU within one. UAlbany held its lead, and at 24-23, Leindecker earned a kill to seal the set for UAlbany 25-23.
In the second set, Otero had another strong serving session with an ace in a 4-0 run to put UAlbany up 5-1. At 8-4, ISU got five of the next six, including two Cassandra Willis kills, to tie the set at nine. With kills from four different players, UAlbany won a pair of points a couple of times to go up 18-13. ISU got the following three, sandwiched by kills, to pull the Sycamores within two. Kills from Hurley and Dolan kept the lead with multiple points, then at 20-18, Dolan earned a kill, sending Hansen back to serve. Dolan blocked two attacks and Hansen notched an ace. An ISU attack error completed the 5-0 run for UAlbany as the Great Danes won 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
With a kill and three blocks from Kynedi Nalls, Indiana State started the third game up 7-1. Chloe Lamb earned a kill to spark a 3-0 run and bring UAlbany within three, later getting within two with a Jungsten kill and Pinto ace at 8-6. At 11-9, ISU got the next four points to lead 15-9. After some exchanges, a couple of Hurley kills gave UAlbany one last gasp in the set to get the team within four, but ISU got three of the final four points on kills and won set three 25-19.
Indiana State had another early set run in game four to lead 5-1. UAlbany countered with a similar sprint, with a Pinto ace tying the set at 6-6. Using a couple of Spangler kills, the Sycamores built an 11-9 lead. UAlbany scored the next four points with a Hurley kill and Hansen's serving to go ahead 13-11, and, after a Spangler kill, won the next three points to lead 16-12. At 19-15, Spangler earned three kills in a 4-0 run to tie the game at 19. After a trade of points, Dolan knocked down a kill and Hansen notched an ace to put UAlbany up 22-20. Two ISU errors and kills later, UAlbany set up match point. Nalls earned a kill for ISU, then Jungsten hit a kill to seal the match. UAlbany won set four 25-23 and the match 3-1.
Next weekend, the Great Danes will compete in the Colgate Classic in Hamilton, New York.
