Oct. 8, 2009

Kent State and Ohio Game Notes

OXFORD, Ohio - Miami continues its road trip with a couple of important Mid-American Conference games. The RedHawks take on Kent State Friday at 7 p.m., before moving on to face current East Division leader Ohio on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Athens.

MIAMI-OHIO RIVALRY: Miami and Ohio have been two of the top teams in the MAC East Division the past few years and the have had some very competitive matches. Two seasons ago, the RedHawks ended the Bobcats’ 52-match home winning streak with a 3-1 victory. Miami then swept Ohio 3-0 to take home the MAC Tournament title. Last season, however, the Bobcats got their revenge with a 3-1 win in the MAC Semifinals, en route to their own conference title.

ABOUT KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes are 9-9 on the year and 2-2 in the MAC. Before beginning conference play, they had an unusual start to the season when they lost their first seven games, but followed it up with a seven game winning streak. Last weekend, Kent State fell to Buffalo 1-3 on Oct. 2, but rebounded with a 3-1 victory over Akron on Oct. 3. The Golden Flashes are led by senior outside hitter Arjola Prenga, who leads the team with 223 kills despite participating in only 12 of the team’s 18 matches. That is an average of 4.65 kills per set.

THE SERIES AGAINST THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Miami has dominated the all-time series with Kent State, leading 50-11. The RedHawks have won eight consecutive matches with the Golden Flashes dating back to 2005. Last season, Miami earned a pair of 3-0 victories against Kent State, on Oct. 3 in Oxford and Nov. 8 in Kent.

ABOUT OHIO: The defending MAC Tournament Champion Bobcats are 12-4 on the year and are in first place in the East Division at 4-0. Last weekend, Ohio swept Akron, 3-0, on Oct. 2 and defeated Buffalo, 3-1, on Oct. 3. Senior outside hitter Ellen Herman is their top player and one of the most talented players in the Midwest region. She is the reigning MAC Player of the Year and a three-time first team All-MAC selection. This year, she has 259 kills, an average of 4.47 kills per set.

THE SERIES AGAINST THE BOBCATS: While Ohio has been the top team in the MAC the past decade, it wasn’t always that way. As a result, Miami leads the all-time series with the Bobcats 43-20. The majority of the RedHawks’ wins came during a 29-match winning streak in the series that took place between 1977 and 1993. Last season, Miami dominated Ohio 3-0 at home on Oct. 5, but dropped a tough five-set match in Athens on Nov. 7. The team’s then met in the MAC Tournament semifinals, where Ohio came away with a 3-1 win.

TEAM LEADERS SO FAR: Senior outside hitter Maria Leahy has been the RedHawks’ offensive leader in 2009. She has 188 kills, an average of 3.19 kills per set. Behind her is junior middle hitter Michele Metzler, who has 124 kills, an average of 2.18 kills per set. Metzler’s hitting percentage of .302 is tops for Miami for players with 90 or more total attacks. On the defensive side, freshman Lisa Treadway, who has started 13 matches at the libero position, leads the team with 224 digs. That is an average of 3.80 digs per set. She earned MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 6. Leahy continues to show she is a dual threat on the court as she is second on the team with 147 digs. Her willingness to play both offense and defense earned her Defensive Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 28. Andrea Atteberry, the team’s setter who is also a strong defensive player, is third with 110 digs. A triple-double of 10 kills, 35 assists and 13 digs on Sept. 26 against Buffalo, earned her MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 28. Megan Griffin is the RedHawks’ blocking leader with two solo blocks and 46 block assists. Metzler is right behind her with six solo blocks and 38 block assists.

MILESTONES TO ACHIEVE: A couple of seniors will be attempting to hit some career milestones throughout this season. Andrea Atteberry has already become the third player in Miami history to reach 4,000 assists for her career. She currently has 4,115, and passed Kathy Whalen (1988-91) last weekend for second on the all-time RedHawk career list. Megan Griffin is looking to become the 18th player to reach the 1,000 kill mark. She currently is at 882. Atteberry also has a shot at a truly historic Miami record. She is now at 873 digs. If she can reach 1,000 this season, she’ll be the 12th player in school history to achieve that and the first to do so as a setter. Atteberry is also only 92 digs short of tying Maggie Clark (1995-98) for 10th place on the Miami career dig list for non-liberos.