Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
13-3 (3-1MAC)
Eastern Michigan
16-4 (3-1MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan | 19 | 23 | 22 | 0 |
| Ball State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Moves Into First With Sweep Of EMU
October 03, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team moved into a tie for first place in the Mid-American Conference West Division with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-22) victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday night at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals, who improve to 13-3 (3-1 MAC), also handed the Eagles (16-4/3-1 MAC) their first road loss of the season as they drop to 7-1 in away contests. Ball State remains a perfect 6-0 at Worthen Arena. As of this evening, BSU, EMU and Western Michigan are in a three-way tie for the top spot in the division at 3-1.
"This was a match we needed very dearly to have any chance of being a contender for the league title," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "I thought the girls showed their mental toughness in games two and three when Eastern fought back. I give a lot of credit to Mindy Marx at the end of game two, as she struggled early on, but stepped up with a couple big kills for us. Down the stretch in game three, there were a number of players who rose to the occasion. This was a great win over one of the premier teams in the MAC."
For the second-straight night, it was BSU's freshmen outside attackers leading the offense, as Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) tied for match-high honors with 11 kills, while Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.) added 10 markers. Baker would go on to collect 17 digs for her third double-double of the season.
In the middle, juniors Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) and Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) each collected eight kills. Boyd finished the night with a match-best .375 (8-2-16) hitting percentage, while Brandl tied for match-high honors with three blocks. Freshman Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven H.S.) added seven kills in the contest, including the second-set winner.
Defensively, four Cardinals tallied double-digit digs, led by senior libero Alyssa Rio's (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) match-best 26. Freshman defensive specialist Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) added 11 digs, as did junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.). Baker was the other BSU player with double-digit digs at 17.
McGinnis led the Ball State offense to a .204 (48-18-147) attack percentage in the victory, dishing out a match-high 40 assists to go along with her 11 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. She also planted four kills and notched a block assist.
BSU's overall defensive effort helped limit Eastern Michigan to its third-lowest hitting percentage of the season at .130 (40-20-154). Paige Roback paced the EMU offense with 11 kills, while Rachel Iaquaniello and Kristen Baker added 10 apiece. Haley Stein led the Eagles defense with 19 digs, while Roback added 18.
After falling behind 6-4 early in the opening set, the Cardinals used a kill from Baker and some strong serving from Fredrich to rally off the next five points, building a 9-6 advantage. EMU answered with the next three markers, and from there the teams played to a 16-16 stalemate.
After a block from Jenn Swartz and Roback gave the guests a brief 17-16 edge, three kills from Baker, two from McGinnis and one from Boyd helped BSU rattle off the next six points, as the hosts pulled ahead 22-17. More strong serving from Fredrich helped set up the BSU offense and force EMU to use both its timeouts during the run. From there, the Cardinals went on to win the set 25-19 on a kill from Heeres.
The second set was the closest of the night with 15 ties and six lead changes. With the score knotted at 20, back-to-back markers from Marx gave the hosts a slim 22-20 lead. However, EMU responded with the next three points, leading to a Ball State timeout trailing 23-22.
The break proved beneficial to the Cardinals, as they responded with the next three points, winning the set 25-23. A Baker kill started the rally, while Boyd and Baker combined for a block to give BSU set-point at 24-23. After an EMU timeout, Marx blasted the set-winning kill.
Eastern Michigan looked determined at the start of the third set, posting the first three points. However, a pair of kills from Heeres and an ace from Kaylee Schembra (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli H.S.) helped Ball State battle back and even the frame at five.
EMU kept the score close through much of the set, as the teams played to a 21-21 deadlock. A kill and ace from Brandl, however, shifted the momentum to Ball State's side of the court, as the hosts went ahead 23-21. A kill from Baker gave BSU match-point at 24-22, while an EMU attack error ended the set at 25-22 and the match at 3-0.
The Ball State women's volleyball team continues league play next Thursday, when it travels to Toledo for a 7 p.m. first serve against the Rockets.
