Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
16-4 (6-2MAC)
Kent State
10-13 (3-5MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent State | 14 | 25 | 15 | 20 | 1 |
| Ball State | 25 | 14 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Earns 3-1 Win Over Kent State
October 17, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team improved to 8-0 at Worthen Arena with a 3-1 (25-14, 14-25, 25-15, 25-20) victory over Mid-American Conference East Division foe Kent State Saturday evening.
With the win, the Cardinals snap a four-match losing streak to the Golden Flashes and improve to 16-4 (6-2 MAC). BSU's 8-0 start at Worthen Arena is its best since the 2001 squad posted a perfect 11-0 record on its home floor. KSU drops to 10-13 (3-5 MAC) with the loss.
"I was really pleased with our effort, focus and intensity tonight," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "We beat a good Kent State team which ran away with game two thanks to their quick-serve. Our team responded well to their no-huddle offense and played outstanding in sets three and four. It was a super win coming off a monumental victory over Ohio last night. We were concerned about a letdown, but the team responded in a positive way and came to play tonight."
Freshman outside attacker Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) turned in another solid performance for the Cardinal and White, leading all players with 17 kills. She also added a match-best .483 (17-3-29) hitting percentage.
Also posting double-digit kills for the Cardinals were junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) and freshman outside attacker Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.) with 12 and 11, respectively. Brandl added a team-best four blocks and hit .321 (12-3-28), while Baker added 10 digs for her fourth double-double of the year.
Freshman middle blocker Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven H.S.) also had a solid night from the attack line, collecting seven kills while hitting .286 (7-1-21).
In the backcourt, senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) recorded a match-best 19 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) collected 17.
Senior outside attacker Hannah Sullivan (New Albany, Ind./New Albany H.S.) added 11 digs to help the Cardinals to a 69-54 advantage in the category for the match.
Junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) guided the Ball State offense to a .250 (58-21-148) rate of success in the victory, dishing out 44 assists, while adding seven digs and five kills.
Overall, the Cardinals limited the Kent State attack to a .141 (39-19-142) rate of success, with Meredith Paskert and Liva Brivule tying for team-high honors with 15 kills apiece. Brivule added 14 digs for a double-double, as did KSU libero Kristen Barr.
The teams battled to a 3-3 tie to open the match, before a Kent State service error and a Baker kill helped BSU gain the momentum and a 5-3 edge. Two more Baker smashes helped force KSU's first timeout at the 9-5 mark.
Ball State continued to control play from there, using three kills from Heeres and two each from Brandl and Marx leading to the Golden Flashes' second timeout at 17-9. The Cardinals took a 10-point advantage at the 23-13 mark on another kill from Heeres, before winning the frame 25-14 on a KSU service error.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle early, as the teams played to a 13-13 stalemate. Unfortunately from there it was all Kent State, as the guests rattled off 12 of the final 13 points thanks to their quick-serve offense, to win the set 25-14. Paskert led KSU during the rally with three kills and a block assist.
The teams played to a 4-4 tie in the third game, before a pair of Brandl kills gave the hosts a two-point edge at 6-4. The Cardinals carried the momentum from there, forcing a KSU timeout at the 13-7 mark thanks in part to three straight kills from Heeres, Baker and Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.).
Moments later KSU was forced to use its second timeout at 17-11 after another Brandl smash to the hardwood floor. From there, the Cardinals reached set point at 24-14 on a kill from Boyd. The teams exchanged service errors on the next two rallies, allowing the Cardinals to post a 25-15 victory in the frame.
A Fredrich ace surrounded by a pair of Ball State blocks led to an early Golden Flashes timeout at the 3-1 mark of the fourth game. The ploy worked momentarily, as KSU rallied back to tie the score at 4-4. However, three kills from Heeres and a pair from Baker quickly reestablished a 10-5 BSU advantage.
After Kent State's second timeout, a block and kill from Marx helped extend the Ball State lead to 12-5. The Golden Flashes responded with the next three points, forcing BSU's first timeout of the frame at 12-8.
KSU closed within three points at the 18-15 mark, only to have kills from Heeres and Baker push the BSU edge back to five at 20-15. Kent State made one more push within three at 21-18, before three straight points gave BSU match-point at 24-18. Three rallies later, a KSU service error ended the set at 25-20.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action next Friday, with a 7 p.m. first serve at Miami.
