Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
7-217-4; MAC
Miami
2-77-15; MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 25 | 26 | 3 |
| Miami | 18 | 15 | 24 | 0 |
Women's Volleyball Soars Past RedHawks; 3-0
October 23, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Ohio - - Behind a season-best .367 (54-10-120) attack percentage, the Ball State women's volleyball team posted a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 26-24) sweep over Mid-American Conference East Division rival Miami Friday evening at Millett Hall.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 17-4 (7-2 MAC) in its first season under head coach Steve Shondell. The road team has now collected five-straight wins in the all-time series versus between BSU and Miami. The RedHawks drop to 7-15 (2-7 MAC) with the set-back.
"I thought our girls may have given their best effort of the year tonight from start to finish," said Shondell. "It shows our team is starting to play with confidence and a lot of maturity. We had a lot of strong performances from a number of individuals. To beat Miami in three on the road is a tremendous win for our program."
In Friday's victory, three Cardinals finished the match with double-digit kills led by freshman outside hitter Whitney Heeres' (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) match-best 16 kills. Heeres also finished the contest with a .444 attack percentage, with her 16 kills coming on 36 swings with no hitting errors.
Junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) also had a strong attacking night, blasting 11 kills on 16 swings with no errors for a .688 rate of success. She also served up a pair of aces.
Freshman outside hitter Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.) also blasted double-figure kills in the contest with 10, while adding eight digs.
Junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) quarterback the Cardinals to their season-best hitting effort, handing out 40 assists while adding six digs. She also did her part from the attack line, tallying six kills and a .385 (6-1-13) hitting mark.
In the backcourt, freshman defensive specialist Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) collected a team-best 13 digs, while adding her 15th service ace of the season. Senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) added 12 digs to help BSU to a 50 -48 edge in the digs for the contest.
Colleen Loftus and Michele Metzler tied for team-high honors with 11 kills apiece for the RedHawks, which hit .259 (41-13-108) as a team. Lisa Treadway added a match-best 14 digs for Miami, which also out-block the Cardinals 7-1 in the contest.
The RedHawks scored four of the first six points to open the match, only to see to see a pair of Heeres kills spark a 4-0 run from the Cardinals, giving the guests a 6-4 edge. Miami answered with the next two points, tying the score at six, and from there the score moved to 7-7.
A kill from McGinnis and a Hannah Sullivan (New Albany, Ind./New Albany H.S.) ace helped BSU rally off the next three points, and from there, the Cardinals controlled the set. With Ball State holding a 21-18 edge, a kill and ace from Brandl helped Ball State reach set point at 24-18. McGinnis completed the frame with her second kill of the stanza.
Ball State dominated the early portion of the second set, scoring the first five points and building a 10-2 lead. Miami would cut the gap to four points, at 13-9, only to see BSU reclaim its eight-point edge at 20-12. Back-to-back kills from Heeres extended the Ball State advantage to 10 at 22-12, while a Baker kill ended the set at 25-15.
With Miami holding a slim 5-4 advantage in the third game, a pair of markers from Heeres surrounding a RedHawks attack error helped BSU rally to take a 7-5 lead. Miami followed with three of the next four points, tying the game at eight.
The RedHawks eventually built a 13-11 lead, only to have three kills from Heeres and a Brandl marker help BSU battle back and pull ahead 16-13. A 4-0 run from the hosts helped Miami recapture a slim 17-16 edge, forcing a Ball State timeout. BSU tied the score at 17 thanks to another Heeres marker, and the teams traded a pair of two-point runs, pushing the score to 21-21.
With the score tied at 22, kills from Baker and McGinnis gave BSU match-point at 24-22. A Miami block and a Amy Raseman kill helped keep the RedHawks alive, tying the score at 24. Brandl gave BSU its third match-point on the next play with her 11th kill of the night, while a Miami attack error ended the set at 26-24 and the match at 3-0.
The Ball State women's volleyball team continues its brief two-match road swing Saturday, with a 7 p.m. first serve at Bowling Green.
