Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
8-8 (1-2MAC)
Central Michigan
9-4 (2-1MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 27 | 21 | 23 | 12 | 2 |
| Central Michigan | 9 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Women's Volleyball Suffers 3-2 Setback At Central Michigan
October 03, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - - After a dominating first-set performance, the Ball State women's volleyball team suffered a heart-breaking 3-2 (9-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-23, 15-12) setback to Central Michigan in Mid-American Conference action Friday evening at the Rose Center.
With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 8-8 (1-2 MAC) on the year. The Chippewas improve to 9-4 (2-1 MAC) and earn a come-from-behind victory in their home opener.
In the team's first five-set match of the season, Alisha Green (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest H.S.) tagged a season-high 19 kills to lead the Ball State offense. Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) also collected double-figure kills for the Cardinals, racking up a season-high tying 10 markers, Brandl also tied a career-high with seven total blocks, while hitting .500 (10-1-18).
Overall, the Cardinals finished the match with a .197 (56-26-152) attack percentage after posting a .560 (15-1-25) rate of success in the first set. Led by Brandl's seven blocks and a match-best 18 digs from Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.), the Ball State defense limited the CMU attack to a .141 (56-33-163) attack mark.
Central Michigan's Lauren Krupsky tied Green for match-high honors with 19 kills, while Kaitlyn Schultz and Kaitlyn Hurt added 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Alexis Lonneman led three Chippewas in double-figure digs with 15.
The match opened with three two-point runs, as the visiting Cardinals built a 4-2 edge. After a kill from CMU's Krupsky cut the gap to one, at 4-3, three kills and a block assist from Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) sparked a 7-1 BSU run and forced the hosts to call timeout trailing 11-4.
The Chippewas scored the first two points after the break, but could do little else as the Cardinals continued their offensive barrage, winning the set 25-9. Green and Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.) added two kills apiece down the stretch, as BSU scored 14 of the final 17 points. Overall, the Cardinals hit .560 (15-1-25) in the opening frame, while limiting CMU to a -.030 (7-8-33) mark.
Central Michigan looked to have recovered early in the second set, playing to a 4-2 advantage of its own. However, two kills and a block assist from Brandl on the next three plays led to a 6-0 run from the Cardinals and gave BSU an 8-4 edge.
Ball State maintained the four-point lead at 11-7, only to see a pair of kills from Krupsky help CMU regain the edge at 13-12 after a 6-1 run. From there, the teams fought to a 23-23 tie, with neither team pulling ahead by more than two. A Schultz kill gave the hosts the first set point at 24-23, but an attack error and a Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) overpass kill gave BSU frame point at 25-24.
Schultz and Phillips traded kills on the next two plays, giving BSU its second change to win the game at 26-25. This time the Cardinals would not be denied, as a block from Breivogel and Phillips gave the Cardinals a 27-25 set win, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
Ball State looked like it was going to put the match away early in the third set, as three kill from Green helped BSU build a 5-1 lead. After a 3-0 CMU run, the Cardinals regained the four-point advantage at 9-5 on a 4-1 run capped by a Brandl ace. From there, Central Michigan chipped away at the Ball State lead, eventually tying the frame at 10-10 on a kill from Schultz.
The Cardinals were able to regain a two-point lead moments later as a Brandl kill made the score 13-11. CMU responded by scoring five of the next six points to take a 16-14 edge and force the Cardinals to call for the minute break. A kill from Lindsey Dulude push the score to 20-16 in favor of the Chippewas and led to BSU's second timeout.
Ball State was able to regain some momentum after the break, drawing within one at 21-20, but CMU responded with four of the final five points to win the set 25-21 on a Krupsky kill.
Set four opened with the teams battling to an 8-8 deadlock before the second of back-to-back kills from Green helped the Cardinals open an 11-8 lead and force CMU's first timeout. The hosts used the break to refocus, scoring the next two points to trail by one at 11-10.
Once again, Ball State looked like it took control of the set by scoring the next four points, capped by a Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) ace, to pull ahead 15-10. However, the Chippewas answered back by scoring the next five points to tie the set at 15-15.
With Central Michigan leading by one at 22-21, back-to-back Green makers gave BSU a 23-22 lead and forced CMU's final timeout of the frame. The Ball State lead was short-lived, however, as a Krupsky smash and a block assist from Schultz and Danielle Gotham gave the Chippewas set point at 24-23. After the Cardinals final timeout, a BSU attack error ended the game at 25-23 and forced a deciding fifth set.
The teams traded the first two points of the final set, before a Gotham kill and a Catherine Ludwig ace gave the hosts a 3-1 lead. Ball State would battle back to tie the set at 5-all, before a Hurt kill sparked a 4-1 run leading to a Ball State timeout at 9-6.
Schultz added another marker after the break, extending the Central Michigan lead to four at 10-6. Ball State managed to cut the gap to two at 11-9 after a block assist from Brandl and Green, but CMU scored the next three points to reach match-point at 14-9. Despite three straight Ball State blocks, all of which involved Brandl, the Chippewas would win the set 15-12 on a match-winning kill from Krupsky.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Saturday evening, when it travels to Ypsilanti, Mich., for a 7 p.m. showdown with Eastern Michigan.
