Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Falls to No. 1 Ohio in MAC Tournament Championship Match
November 20, 2005 | Women's Volleyball
Toledo, Ohio - - The No. 3 seed Ball State (20-10) women's volleyball team saw its 2005 Mid-American Conference Tournament run come to an end Sunday afternoon with a 0-3 (24-30, 25-30, 28-30) loss to No. 1 Ohio (29-2) at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio.
Seniors
For their efforts in the entire tournament, Obras and McCormick were named to the MAC All-Tournament team, marking a league-record 15-straight years BSU has placed at least one player on the squad. BSU also holds the edge in all-time selections with 24.
With the 12 kills, Obras moved her MAC-leading career kills total to 1,952. In addition, she tallied eight digs in the contest, upping her career total to 1,638.
With her 24 digs, McCormick upped her MAC-leading digs-per-game average to 6.31, and is six digs shy of becoming just the second player in MAC history to go over 700 digs in a single season at 694. BSU's Stephanie Keller's (2001-04) holds the MAC single-season record of 758.
Refenes would added a match-best five total blocks - - moving her career total to 563, as well as three digs and a service ace.
McCormick would also add three assists and a pair of service aces.
Sophomore
Juniors Kirby Gibson (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson H.S.) and Kelly Cochran (La Porte, Ind./Michigan City Marquette H.S.) would add six and five kills in the match, respectively. Both would also score a pair of blocks, while Cochran added 12 digs and Gibson collected five.
Sophomore setter Angie Parrell (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights H.S.) tallied 39 assists in the contest, while scoring four kills, two digs and a block.
Senior Stephanie Bacan (Remsen, Iowa/St. Mary's H.S.) added seven digs and a service ace, while fellow senior Kristin Westhof (Fruitport, Mich./Fruitport H.S.) added a pair of digs and a block.
Junior Heather Burleson (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian H.S.) also saw action in the match for Ball State.
In the opening set the Cardinals jumped ahead 6-2, before an 11-point Bobcat run gave Ohio a 13-6 advantage. Ball State would draw within two points on several occasions, including at 25-23, before a 5-1 Ohio run ended the game at 30-24.
The second stanza the teams played to a 16-16 tie before a three-point Bobcat run gave the top-seed the lead for good. The Cardinals would get within one point at 21-20 on a Bacan service ace, but get no closer as Ohio took the game 30-25.
In the final frame, the Cardinals fell behind 7-3 early, only to fight back and take a 22-17 advantage. Ball State would continue to hold an advantage at 26-23 before a six-point Bobcat run gave Ohio match point at 29-26. The Cardinals would score the next two points on a Julia Winkfield attack error and a kill from May, pushing the score to 29-28. Unfortunately for Ball State, Winkfield would follow with the MAC Tournament Championship winning kill.
For the match, Ohio posted a .260 (55-17-146) to .147 (47-25-150) hitting advantage, while holding a nine to six edge in total blocks. Ohio also held a 67 to 65 edge in digs, while BSU scored four aces to Ohio's two.
Winkfield would pace all players in the contest with 18 kills, while Michaele and Stephanie Blackburn added 15 digs each.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will conclude the regular season Wednesday with a
