Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Snaps Losing Streak with 3-2 Win at Western Michigan
October 28, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
Kalamazoo, Mich. - - The Ball State (7-17, 4-8 Mid-American Conference) women's volleyball team snapped its seven-match losing streak with a thrilling 3-2 (32-30, 30-27, 18-30, 24-30, 15-12) victory at Western Michigan (14-12, 4-8 MAC) Saturday evening at University Arena.
After pulling out to a two-set lead, BSU dropped the next two games to force a fifth set. After falling behind 4-0 and 6-2 in the final frame, the Cardinals rallied to take their first lead of the stanza at 7-6.
BSU maintained an 8-7 advantage in the set before a 3-0 Broncos run put the hosts from Kalamazoo up 10-8. After a BSU timeout, the Cardinals would rally off the next five points to take a 13-10 advantage.
In the rally, freshman Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.) would score a pair of kills, while senior
A kill from WMU's Katie Eberling would push the score to 13-11, before a kill from BSU junior Angie Parrell (Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights H.S.) gave the Cardinals match-point at 14-11. Another Eberling kill would give the Broncos some life, before a WMU attack error ended the game at 15-12.
Four BSU players would finish the contest with double-figure kills, paced by Cochran's 17. May would tally 16, while Breivogel added 15 and senior Kirby Gibson (Lafayette, Ind./Jefferson H.S.) scored 10.
With her 17 kills on the night, Cochran is now 18 kills shy of becoming just the third player in school history to record 1,200 career kills and 1,200 career digs.
One of only five student-athletes in school annals to enter the 1,000/1,000 Club, Cochran has amassed 1,182 kills and 1,244 digs in her four seasons with BSU (2003-06). Only
On the defensive front, senior Amanda McCormick (Muncie, Ind./Burris H.S.) paced all players with 34 digs. Also posting double-figure digs for the Cardinals were Cochran with 19, Breivogel with 12 and senior Stephanie Bacan (Remsen, Iowa/St. Mary's H.S.) with 11.
After finishing the weekend with 74 digs - - including 40 at NIU last night - - McCormick raised her NCAA-leading digs-per-game average to 7.35.
McCormick would also score a pair of kills in the victory, while Cochran's double-double - - 17 kills and 19 digs - - was her team-leading 12th of the season. Breivogel's double-double - - 15 kills and 12 digs - - was her fifth of the year.
Gibson would pace the Cardinals with five total blocks, while May scored four blocks. Parrell finished the contest with 55 assists, six digs, four kills and one block. Parrell and Bacan would each score a pair of aces in the match.
Also factoring in the victory were freshmen:
For the match, the Cardinals were out-hit .209 (70-22-230) to .231 (90-35-238) and out-dug 115 to 98. Ball State held an 11-8 lead in blocks, while both teams scored four aces.
Three WMU players logged 20-plus kills, paced by Kathryn Babcock's 27. Babcock also led the Broncos with 33 digs.
Ball State returns to action Thursday, when they host Akron at
