Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
12-3 (2-1MAC)
Central Michigan
6-9 (0-3MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 21 | 25 | 10 | 17 | 1 |
| Ball State | 25 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Tallies 3-1 Win Over Central Michigan
October 02, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After splitting the first two sets, the Ball State women's volleyball team dominated the final two in a 3-1 (25-21, 18-25, 25-10, 25-17) victory over Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan Friday evening at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 12-3 (2-1 MAC) on the year. The MAC West Division preseason favorite Chippewas drop to 6-9 (0-3 MAC) after the loss, with all three league losses coming to divisional foes.
"I thought we started a little slow in the first two games," said head coach Steve Shondell. "We were able to fight back and win the first game, but never got control of game two. After the halftime break, we came out with the intensity we needed to play with to protect our home court against a very strong Central Michigan squad."
Leading the charge for the Cardinals in the victory over the Chippewas were freshmen outside attackers Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) and Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.), who each blasted 13 kills.
Heeres added a .290 (13-4-31) hitting mark in the match, while Baker tallied eight digs, two blocks, an ace and hit .257 (13-4-15).
"Both Whitney and Kylee hit the ball really well for us tonight," added Shondell. "Whitney got us going early, and both helped us keep the pressure on CMU. For a couple of freshmen, they did a great job tonight."
In the middle, juniors Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) and Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) also turned in solid performances with nine and seven kills, respectively. Brandl tied for match-high honors with five blocks, while Boyd posted a .312 (7-2-16) hitting mark.
In the backcourt, reigning MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) collected a match-best 26 digs, to help limit the Chippewas to a .106 (40-26-132) effort from the attack line.
Junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) quarterbacked the Cardinals to a .240 (50-20-125) hitting mark on offense, dishing out a match-high 36 assists to go with eight digs, five kills, two aces and a block assist.
In addition to out-hitting the Chippewas, BSU held a 60 to 44 advantage in team digs and an eight to six lead in aces. Both teams finished the night with seven team blocks.
Lauren Krupsky paced the Central Michigan attack and tied for match-high honors with 13 kills. Lisa Johnson added a team-best 14 digs for the Chippewas.
Central Michigan opened the match strong, scoring five of the first six points to build a 5-1 advantage. The Cardinals quickly responded, closing the gap to one at 6-5, behind kills from Brandl, Boyd and Baker. Trailing 10-8, Ball State responded with the next five points, including a kill and ace from McGinnis, to take a 13-10 lead.
BSU extended its advantage to seven points, 20-13, after back-to-back blocks from Baker and senior middle blocker Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.). Central Michigan would get as close as two points, at 23-21, before kills from Boyd and Brandl ended the set at 25-21.
The teams played to an 8-8 stalemate to open the second set, before a 4-0 Chippewas run forced a Ball State timeout. Kills from Baker and Heeres followed, cutting the CMU lead to 12-10. However, Central Michigan answered with five-straight points and never looked back, winning the frame 25-18 on back-to-back kills from Kaitlyn Schultz.
The Cardinals responded out of the 10-minute break with one of their most dominating performances of the season, winning the third set 25-10. Brandl started the scoring with a pair of kills as Ball State quickly built a 2-0 advantage. While CMU rattled off the next two points, and remained within one at 6-5, some strong serving from freshman Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) helped BSU post the next seven points.
The Cardinals took their first 10-point lead at 17-7 on another Brandl smash to the Worthen Arena hardwood floor, while a kill from freshman Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven H.S.) ended the set at 25-10.
The teams opened the fourth set by battling to a 3-3 tie. However, a CMU attack error and a Fredrich ace gave the Cardinals the momentum, as they posted the next five points. CMU would get no closer than three points the rest of the night, as the Cardinals went on to win the set 25-17 on Baker's 13th kill of the evening.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action tomorrow night (Saturday) when it hosts Eastern Michigan in another pivotal MAC West Division showdown. EMU enters the contest with a 16-3 (3-0 MAC) record after posting a 3-1 win at Toledo Friday night.
