Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
10-11, 3-5MAC
Ohio
16-4, 8-0MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 22 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
| Ohio | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Strong Effort Not Enough To Lift Women?s Volleyball Past Ohio
October 17, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
ATHENS, Ohio - - Despite a strong all-around effort, the Ball State women's volleyball team suffered a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23) setback to Mid-American Conference East Division leader Ohio Saturday night at the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio.
With the loss, the Cardinals drop to 10-11 (3-5 MAC). Ohio improves to 16-4 (8-0 MAC) with the victory.
"We played well enough to win the match, out-stating them in every category," said Ball State head coach Dave Boos. "However, Ohio is a very experienced team and they were able to make a few more plays throughout the match. Overall, I am very proud of our effort against a strong Ohio team tonight."
Behind a team-high 12 kills from senior Alisha Green (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest H.S.) and solid play from setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.), the Cardinals were able to out-hit the Bobcats .257 (38-10-109) to .248 (49-16-113) in the contest.
Kaylee Schembra (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli H.S.) paced all players with 19 digs in the match, while McGinnis collected eight.
Ball State also held a 51 to 47 advantage in digs, while out blocking one of the nation's top blocking teams seven to three.
Ohio's Ellen Herman led all players with 15 kills, while Meghan Simons posted 12. Meryl Bender was Ohio's top defender with 10 digs.
The opening set saw the teams battle to a 10-10 deadlock before an Ohio service error gave the Cardinals their first lead of the set at 11-10. BSU maintained the one-point edge at 12-11, before a kill from Simons sparked a 5-1 Bobcats run and forced the Cardinals to call timeout trailing 16-13.
Ohio tacked on the first two points after the break to extend the lead to five at 18-13. However, BSU's Green blasted kills on four of the next five rallies to cut the OU lead to two at 19-17. Kills from Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) and Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) helped the Cardinals pull within one at 20-19 and led to an Ohio timeout.
Unfortunately, two more Simons kills helped give the Bobcats set point at 24-20. A marker from Boyd and a BSU block extended the frame a little longer, but Simons blasted the frame-winning kill at 25-22.
Set two saw the teams play to a 4-4 tie before another Simons kill and a Herman service ace helped Ohio rally off four-straight points to pull ahead 8-4. The lead remained four at 10-6, before a Green kill and a McGinnis ace sparked a 10-point Ball State run, giving the visitors a 16-10 edge. Phillips added two kills and a block assist in the run.
A kill from Herman stopped the run, and she would add two more over the next three plays as Ball State called timeout to stop the Ohio's momentum with a 16-14 lead. The ploy would not work, as the Bobcats tied the set at 16 with the next two points. With the score knotted at 18, Ohio posted the next three points to pull ahead 21-18.
A service error and an kill from Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.) pulled the Cardinals back within one at 21-20. Two Bobcats kills later the lead was back to three at 23-20. Ball State was able to battle back within one on two more occasions, but a Sue Jacobi kill ended the game at 25-23 in favor of the hosts.
The third set opened with the teams playing to a 6-6 tie before a Simons solo block sparked a 6-0 Ohio run, giving the hosts a 12-6 advantage. A solo block at 14-11 and a kill at 15-12 from Breivogel would get the Cardinals within three, but Ohio responded with the next two points to push the score to 17-12.
Trailing 18-13, the Cardinals cut the gap to two at 18-16 thanks in part to kills from Green and Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.). Moments later, an attack error from the Bobcats helped BSU pull within one at 20-19. The hosts respond with four of the next five points to reach match-point at 24-21.
Kills from Breivogel and Brandl kept the Cardinals alive and forced the Bobcats to call timeout at 24-23. The hosts went on to close the match on the next play, however, thanks to a kill from Faith Robins.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to Worthen Arena Friday, when it hosts Bowling Green in a 7 p.m. match that will be webcasted live by Ball State Sports Link. Saturday, the Cardinals will host Miami at 7 p.m. in a match televised by the Ball State Sports Network.
