Ball State University
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Centenary
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Volleyball Ends Weekend On High Note
August 30, 2008 | Women's Volleyball
Ball State Ends Tournament With Win Over Sam Houston State
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - - The Ball State women's volleyball team ended play in the 2008 Comfort Suites Sam Houston Invitational with a 3-1 (25-22, 15-25, 29-27, 25-23) win over the host Bearkats to finish a Saturday sweep and improve to 2-2 on the season.
“It was amazing to watch our team evolve over the weekend,” BSU head coach Dave Boos says when summing up the weekend. “Today we were able to win big points and take control of some sets early, which allowed us to cross the threshold and win a couple matches. I also liked the resilience our team showed in coming from behind to win some big sets.”
Playing a large role in the Cardinals two Saturday wins were sophomore Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) and freshman Emily Fisher (Muncie, Ind./Central H.S.). Phillips combined to score 11 kills and seven total blocks over the two matches, while Fisher came in and recorded 22 digs and four aces.
“Charde' and Emily supplied some tremendous performances in their first starts of the season,” Boos adds. “They were able to come in and change the team's chemistry on the floor, helping lead us to a pair of victories.”
For her overall efforts in the two-day tournament, junior Elaina Kakatolis (Arcanum, Ohio/Arcanum H.S.) was named to the all-tournament team. Kakatolis finished the final contest with 11 kills, while smashing 40 kills and hitting .232 (40-18-95) for the entire tournament.
Kakatolis' strong play was helped out by freshman setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.), who ended the tournament with her second career double-double, dishing out 39 assists and collecting 10 digs versus the Bearkats. McGinnis also served up the pivotal game-three winning service ace versus Sam Houston State.
“Elaina and Brittany were able to find a strong connection which will continue to grow as the season progresses,” Boos says. “Elaina had a strong tournament and deserved her spot on the all-tournament team.”
Sophomore Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.) was BSU's leading scorer versus Sam Houston State, smashing 12 kills, while adding 11 digs for her first double-double of the season.
Freshman Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) proved to be a force in the middle for BSU, racking up nine kills, while hitting .474 (9-0-19) against SHSU.
Sophomore libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) led the Cardinals with 14 digs in the tournament finale, and finished the weekend with 84 digs and a team-best 5.60 digs-per-game average.
Sam Houston State's Carli Kolbe paced all players with 14 kills in the match, while the Bearkats' libero Kelly Moyer added a match-best 16 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it hosts Southern Illinois at 5:30 p.m. in the first match of the 2008 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge.
Volleyball Rebounds With Sweep of Centenary
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - - The Ball State women's volleyball team started day two of the 2008 Comfort Suites Sam Houston Invitational strong, scoring a 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-21) victory over Centenary in its first of two matches on the day.
With the victory, the Cardinals improve to 1-2, while the Ladies conclude play in the tournament with a 0-4 record.
Ball State finished the match with a .304 (39-11-92) hitting percentage, which is the best attacking performance for the team in the 33-match tenure of head coach Dave Boos. In addition, BSU limited the Ladies to a -.053 (19-24-95) rate of success, which is the best defensive effort for the squad under Boos.
The previous marks were a .211 (40-17-109) hitting performance in a three-game win over Buffalo on Sept. 29, 2007 and a -.017 (28-30-116) defensive lockdown of Toledo in another three-game in victory Nov. 1, 2007.
Offensively, junior Elaina Kakatolis (Arcanum, Ohio/Franklin Monroe H.S.) paced the Cardinals with a match-high 10 kills, while sophomore transfer Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) added six kills and a match-high five blocks in her first match for Ball State.
Ball State sophomore libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) continued to dominate the back court, racking up a match-best 20 digs, raising her tournament total to 70 for a 6.36 digs-per-game average entering tonight's final match versus the hosts Sam Houston State Bearkats.
Also making a strong defensive showing for the Cardinals was freshman Emily Fisher (Muncie, Ind./Central H.S.) who collected a career-best 13 digs.
Freshman setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Frasier H.S.) also turn in a solid all-around game, dishing out a match-best 26 assists, while adding five kills on six swings for a .833 rate of success. She also tallied five digs, a career-high three blocks assists and her third ace in as many matches.
Brianna Kern paces the Ladies with seven kills, while her sister Bethany Kern tallied a team-high 14 digs.
Ball State concludes play in the Comfort Suites Sam Houston Invitational later this evening with a 7 p.m. (CT) showdown with the host Bearkats. The match will be webcast live on www.ballstatesports.com and www.gobearkats.com.
