The Kent State Tusc volleyball team hosted a tri match on Saturday and dropped five very competitive sets, as they lost their final two matches of the season.
Visiting Clark State came back to beat the Golden Eagles 25-19, 25-16 after falling behind in both sets. The Eagles opened the set with a 4-1 lead, but in the middle part of the opener they fell behind on three quick service aces and found themselves on the short end of a 14-8 score.
Trailing 16-10, KSU scored four straight points with Lilli Peterson (Mineral City, OH / Tuscarawas Valley) holding serve to erase the deficit to 16-14. The visiting Golden Eagles however, added six straight points of their own to take control 22-14 and outlasted the Navy and Gold to 25.
The second set was more of the same, as the two teams battled through seven ties and seven lead changes until the scoreboard stood at 17-16 in Clark State's favor. CSCC went on to score the final eight points of the match to claim the match victory.
Mya Blochlinger (Millersburg, OH / Hiland) had eight kills and Megan Stotzer (Mineral City, OH / Tuscarawas Valley recorded 13 assists.
Having just disposed of Clark State in a fairly quick two-set match, a very solid Potomac State team (9-0) awaited the Golden Eagles in their final test of the season and the Golden Eagles were up for the challenge.
The Catamounts took the best-of-five in three straight sets by scores of 25-19, 25-17, 25-21.
KSU Tusc trailed 15-8 in the opening frame before Megan Stotzer (Mineral City, OH / Tuscarawas Valley) took service and promptly recorded six straight points as the Golden Eagles climbed back in it and trailed 15-14.
The set saw 20 service breaks in the back-and-forth action before Potomac pulled out the win with three straight points (25-19). In the second set, the Eagles fell behind 8-1 and took a timeout. The closest they got was 12-9 after Alexis Zehnder (Magnolia, OH / Sandy Valley) held service for three consecutive points.
Potomac State took command 22-17 and scored the final three points to win 25-17 in the 21 service-break set. The Eagles, however, were still not going to go away quietly.
In what would be their final set of the season, the Eagles battled through 13 ties and 24 service breaks with the Catamounts before falling 25-21. KSU Tusc wrestled away their first lead from the 'Cats 9-8 and had their last lead at 21-18. They managed to knot the score at 21-21 before the two teams volleyed back and forth with Potomac earning the last four points and a 25-21 match victory.
Blochlinger led the Golden Eagles with 13 kills, while Stotzer recorded 24 assists and five points. Corinne Sanders (Dover, OH / Dover) added seven kills and Alyssa Hughes (Mogadore, OH / Mogadore) scored six points.
KSU Tuscarawas ended their season at 4-6.
Alyssa Hughes (16) and the Golden Eagles celebrate a winning point.
Corinne Sanders tries for a kill against Potomac State.
Surrounded by Catamounts, Jamie Myers prepares to push the ball past them. (Photos by Jason Keller)