Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
7-6
Towson
7-6
Women?s Volleyball Serves Its Way Past Towson
September 19, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
TOWSON, Md. - - The Ball State (7-6) women's volleyball team used strong serving to keep Towson (7-6) out of sync in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-18) victory over the host Tigers in BSU 's final match of the Towson Invitational Saturday morning at Towson Arena.
"I was happy with the way our team came out and re-focused after tough day Friday," said Ball State head coach Dave Boos. "It was good to see us come out and play with a good focus level this morning, with it being our third match in a 24-hour span."
In the three-set victory, the Cardinals logged a season-high 14 service aces with sophomore Kaylee Schembra (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli H.S.) leading the way with a career-high five.
"The key to today's win was our service game," added Boos. "Were we able to keep the pressure on them throughout the match, which created a lot of good opportunities for us."
BSU's strong serving also limited the Tigers to a season-low 19 total kills, compared to 43 for the Cardinals. Ball State held a decisive .255 (43-19-94) to .091 (19-12-77) attacking advantage in the contest.
Three Cardinals tallied double-digit kills in the win, with Alisha Green (Country Club Hills, Ill./Hillcrest H.S.) scoring a match-best 13. Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) added 12 markers and a .474 (12-3-19) attacking mark, while Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville H.S.) scored a BSU career-high 10 kills and hit .412 (10-3-17).
Schembra and Julie Breivogel (Boonville, Ind./Boonville H.S.) tied for match-high honors with 12 digs apiece, with Breivogel also adding three aces and four kills.
Amanda Halls was Towson's top attacker with seven kills, while tying for team-high honors with Katee Luecke and Missy Rohrbaugh with six digs.
After falling behind 2-0 in the opening set, a kill from Phillips and aces from Schembra on two of the next three rallies helped the Cardinals build a 5-2 advantage. BSU extended its lead to 8-3 moments later after a Brandl kill and a Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) ace.
Following a timeout, the Tigers would battle back within one at 8-7, only to see a Green kill start an 8-0 Ball State run that gave the guests control of the set. Brandl scored a pair of kills and combined with Breivogel for two blocks in the run.
The host Tigers would get no closer than five points the rest of the frame, as kills from Green and Brandl set up a game-winning ace from McGinnis at 25-17.
The teams played to a 3-3 tie to open the second set before kills from Green and Brandl, followed by two more Schembra aces, gave Ball State a 7-3 edge. The Tigers were able to draw within two points at 8-6, only to see a Green kill and a Christie Waters (Muncie, Ind./Burris Laboratory School) ace give the Cardinals back the momentum.
Ball State took its first 10-point lead at the 20-10 mark after back-to-back kills from Phillips, while Schembra's third ace of the frame ended the set at 25-11.
Early kills from Phillips, Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) and Green helped the Cardinals play to a 6-2 edge. However, four consecutive BSU errors tied the set at six and led to a Ball State timeout. With the score tied at eight, the teams traded four-point runs to move the score to 12-12.
With the score tied at 13, a pair of kills from Green, surrounding a Breivogel ace, forced Towson to call for the minute break trailing 16-13. Ball State extended the lead to 18-13 with a Breivogel ace and Green kill after the timeout. From there, the Cardinals went on to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-0.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, Sept. 25, when it opens the 2009 Mid-American Conference season versus West Division rival Northern Illinois at Worthen Arena. The next day, the Cardinals will host two-time defending MAC West Division Champions Western Michigan. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. first serves.
