Sophomore Colleen Loftus will assist her team when they begin postseason play Friday. (Michael Griggs / The Miami Student)
The Miami University women's volleyball team heads to the MAC tournament Friday facing either Bowling Green or Toledo, after the final weekend at home saw the RedHawks lose matches to Ohio and Kent State dropping their record to 16-12 overall and 11-5 in MAC play. Although they were swept in both matches, the RedHawks earn a first round bye in the tournament, and gained the No. 3 overall seed.
The 'Hawks squared off against the Bobcats of Ohio University Friday night at Millett Hall, hoping to get revenge after losing in straight sets to them earlier in the season. The RedHawks kept it close in the first game against Ohio, losing 25-21. The set featured nine ties and five lead changes.
Set two saw the Red and White jump out to an early lead on kills by seniors Megan Griffin and Maria Leahy. Ohio battled back to tie the score and eventually take the lead, although kills by Amy Raseman kept the RedHawks close. The Red and White suffered the same fate as the first set though, losing set two by a score of 25-23.
The third set saw Miami and Ohio battle it out until the end. Michelle Meltzer kept the 'Hawks in the game early with a couple of kills, but Ohio came out on top 26-24, and took the match 3-0. Meltzer and Leahy lead the way for the RedHawks in the match with nine kills each, and senior setter Andrea Atteberry added 32 assists.
Saturday night hoped to be different for the RedHawks, who entertained Kent State University on senior night at Millett Hall. Miami started off their senior night strong in game one, seeing senior Hallie Hanks lead the way with two early kills. The Golden Flashes rallied back mid-way through to tie the score at 16. The game continued to go back and forth and Leahy gave the RedHawks set point at 24-23, but the Flashes were able to side out and keep the set going. Miami was able to fend off five set-points from Kent State after this but were unable to put away a sixth as the Flashes took game one 31-29.
The second set was another close set, which featured 12 ties and five lead changes. A back and forth set ended on back-to-back Kent State kills, which saw the Golden Flashes take game two 26-24.
Early mistakes in game three doomed the RedHawks, and the Flashes took control early and closed out the match on a 12-5 run, making the final score 25-16.
The game against Kent State was the final home game for seniors Hallie Hanks, Leahy, Griffin and Atteberry. Outsides Hanks and Leahy had seven kills each, while senior setter Atteberry dished out 37 assists. Middle hitter Griffin added six kills, making her 13 kills shy of the 1,000 kill club in her career. Although the RedHawks enter the MAC tournament as the No. 3 seed, they will be tested early.
"Anything can happen in this tournament," Atteberry said. "Even if a team ends the regular season poorly without a good record, they come to play at the tournament."
The Red and White have worked hard to stay centered. "Our focus this season has been focusing our attention to our own game," Leahy said. "We know what our opponents can throw at us and it won't be any different in the MAC Championship Tournament. So I think our team continuing to control our own game will help us win."
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Miami's last MAC title was in 2007, and the seniors would love to leave Oxford with another one.
"This season we've played repeat national champions, defeated a team that made it to the sweet sixteen and teams that are ranked in the top twenty five in the nation," Leahy said. "We are a team to contend with. So going into this MAC Championship Tournament our team is fighting for the love and honor or bringing home our eighth MAC title."
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