Friday, September 10
Chicago, Ill.
7:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
3-4,0-0Big East
2
vs
3
Akron
6-2,0-0MAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Akron
15
25
25
20
15
3
DePaul
25
18
19
25
11
2
DePaul Drops Home Opener to Akron, 3-2
9/10/2021 10:42:00 PM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Senior Meredith Wallace posts breakout performance with 21 kills at a .395 efficency
CHICAGO – Despite rallying in the fourth set to extend the match into a fifth frame, DePaul couldn't hold on against Akron and dropped its home opener at McGrath-Phillips Arena on Friday night, 3-2.
Set scores were 25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 11-15.
DePaul (3-4) was led by senior outside Meredith Wallace with a match-high 21 kills at a .395 clip to go along with five digs. Wallace nearly matched her career-high of 22, recorded in 2019 while at Memphis.
Sophomore Jill Pressly notched her seventh double-double in seven matches this season with 15 kills at a .355 efficiency paired with 10 digs and two solo stuffs. In the middle, Donna Brown put away 10 balls on 20 swings while dropping in a service ace. In sets four and five, Bailey Nelson and Hanna Karl provided a spark off the bench, tallying four kills apiece.
Setters Ashley Cudiamat and Molly Murrihy totaled 24 assists apiece while libero Rachel Krasowski led the back row once again with 16 digs to go along with five assists.
Akron was led by right side Teagan Ochaya with 20 kills, eight digs and three blocks.
Set One: The Blue Demons came out on fire in the first set, claiming a 25-15 victory and notching six blocks in the first 40 points. DePaul hit a clean .440 in the opening frame with Wallace tallying five kills on seven swings while Pressly turned in four kills and a pair of solo blocks. After a fairly close first half of the set, the Blue Demons opened it up and led by as many as eight at 20-12. A pair of Wallace kills and a Cudiamat service ace gave DePaul an early lead.
Set Two: Akron jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in set two and never looked back. An Aly Kindelberger kill brought DePaul within five late in the set trailing 21-16, but the Zips won four of the next six points to close out the set and tie the match at 1-1.
Set Three: The Blue Demons struggled to keep pace with the Zips in set three, falling behind 14-8 in the early goings. With Cudiamat behind the service line, DePaul mounted a 4-0 run to come within three (18-15) of Akron behind three Wallace kills and an Emma Price strike. The Zips responded with a 4-0 run of their own and closed out the set, 25-19, to take a 2-1 lead.
Set Four: DePaul returned to its winning ways in the fourth set after Zidek and Co., made some adjustments to the lineup. The Blue Demons put up a .330 hitting percentage in the set with attackers Karl and Nelson pouring in three kills apiece upon entering the match, while Wallace kept striking wood with five kills, no errors and 10 swings. DePaul led by as many as six before the Zips came climbing back to come within one at 16-15. A pair of errors from the Zips and a pair of Wallace kills sealed the deal and sent the match to a fifth set.
Set Five: In the deciding set, both teams came out battling and drew even until nine apiece. The Zips rattled off three in a row behind a pair of kills from Teagan Ochaya to take a 12-9 lead. A Karl kill brought the Blue Demons back within striking distance at 12-10, before Akron clinched the win with a 3-1 run.
From Head Coach Marie Zidek: "That one stings and it should. Tonight, we had plenty opportunities even when the match went the full length, to win. Take a look at the score sheet and stats. We beat them in nearly every statistical category. The one category we lost to them in was winning the pressurized point and the pressurized match up when it mattered most. That ability to sustain long consistent outputs and stop somebody's heating up is one major obstacle that this group needs to overcome if we plan on competing for the BIG EAST this year. We have to sustain as a unit, set by set, and when one person makes an error, that next person needs to step up and make the play, especially our upper class. We have all the great talent on paper and a ton of depth on our roster. We need more consistency in performances from key positions. Hopefully that moment allows us to reach for a higher, more consistent gear with our game. The silver lining is that we have a chance to come out tomorrow and learn something from this match with another opportunity."
Up Next: The Blue Demons face a quick turnaround with a matchup against Penn waiting at 11 a.m. The Quakers fell to Akron (3-1) and Oakland (3-0) in the first day of the DePaul Invitational.
For all of the latest on DePaul Women's Volleyball, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Set scores were 25-15, 18-25, 19-25, 25-20, 11-15.
DePaul (3-4) was led by senior outside Meredith Wallace with a match-high 21 kills at a .395 clip to go along with five digs. Wallace nearly matched her career-high of 22, recorded in 2019 while at Memphis.
Sophomore Jill Pressly notched her seventh double-double in seven matches this season with 15 kills at a .355 efficiency paired with 10 digs and two solo stuffs. In the middle, Donna Brown put away 10 balls on 20 swings while dropping in a service ace. In sets four and five, Bailey Nelson and Hanna Karl provided a spark off the bench, tallying four kills apiece.
Setters Ashley Cudiamat and Molly Murrihy totaled 24 assists apiece while libero Rachel Krasowski led the back row once again with 16 digs to go along with five assists.
Akron was led by right side Teagan Ochaya with 20 kills, eight digs and three blocks.
Set One: The Blue Demons came out on fire in the first set, claiming a 25-15 victory and notching six blocks in the first 40 points. DePaul hit a clean .440 in the opening frame with Wallace tallying five kills on seven swings while Pressly turned in four kills and a pair of solo blocks. After a fairly close first half of the set, the Blue Demons opened it up and led by as many as eight at 20-12. A pair of Wallace kills and a Cudiamat service ace gave DePaul an early lead.
Set Two: Akron jumped out to an early 6-1 lead in set two and never looked back. An Aly Kindelberger kill brought DePaul within five late in the set trailing 21-16, but the Zips won four of the next six points to close out the set and tie the match at 1-1.
Set Three: The Blue Demons struggled to keep pace with the Zips in set three, falling behind 14-8 in the early goings. With Cudiamat behind the service line, DePaul mounted a 4-0 run to come within three (18-15) of Akron behind three Wallace kills and an Emma Price strike. The Zips responded with a 4-0 run of their own and closed out the set, 25-19, to take a 2-1 lead.
Set Four: DePaul returned to its winning ways in the fourth set after Zidek and Co., made some adjustments to the lineup. The Blue Demons put up a .330 hitting percentage in the set with attackers Karl and Nelson pouring in three kills apiece upon entering the match, while Wallace kept striking wood with five kills, no errors and 10 swings. DePaul led by as many as six before the Zips came climbing back to come within one at 16-15. A pair of errors from the Zips and a pair of Wallace kills sealed the deal and sent the match to a fifth set.
Set Five: In the deciding set, both teams came out battling and drew even until nine apiece. The Zips rattled off three in a row behind a pair of kills from Teagan Ochaya to take a 12-9 lead. A Karl kill brought the Blue Demons back within striking distance at 12-10, before Akron clinched the win with a 3-1 run.
From Head Coach Marie Zidek: "That one stings and it should. Tonight, we had plenty opportunities even when the match went the full length, to win. Take a look at the score sheet and stats. We beat them in nearly every statistical category. The one category we lost to them in was winning the pressurized point and the pressurized match up when it mattered most. That ability to sustain long consistent outputs and stop somebody's heating up is one major obstacle that this group needs to overcome if we plan on competing for the BIG EAST this year. We have to sustain as a unit, set by set, and when one person makes an error, that next person needs to step up and make the play, especially our upper class. We have all the great talent on paper and a ton of depth on our roster. We need more consistency in performances from key positions. Hopefully that moment allows us to reach for a higher, more consistent gear with our game. The silver lining is that we have a chance to come out tomorrow and learn something from this match with another opportunity."
Up Next: The Blue Demons face a quick turnaround with a matchup against Penn waiting at 11 a.m. The Quakers fell to Akron (3-1) and Oakland (3-0) in the first day of the DePaul Invitational.
For all of the latest on DePaul Women's Volleyball, stay tuned to depaulbluedemons.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Team Stats
UA
DePaul
Kills
57
63
Errors
19
23
Attempts
164
159
Hitting %
.232
.252
Points
69
75
Assists
45
54
Aces
6
5
Blocks
6
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
21
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
MB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
S
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
OH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
MB
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
L
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
S
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
PH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLOH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLRS
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLOH
/ WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALLEpisode 24: Marie Zidek, Women's Volleyball
Tuesday, September 02
Bowling Green vs. DePaul - NIVC Great 8
Saturday, December 07
Omaha vs. DePaul - NIVC Second Round
Friday, December 06
Volleyball vs. Omaha - NIVC Super 16
Friday, December 06