Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
14-3 (4-1MAC)
Toledo
5-11 (0-5MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 16 | 26 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Toledo | 23 | 25 | 28 | 21 | 10 | 2 |
Women's Volleyball Outlasts Toledo; 3-2
October 08, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - Behind a match-best and career-high 25 kills from junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.), the Ball State women's volleyball team outlasted Toledo, scoring a 3-2 (25-23, 16-25, 26-28, 25-21, 15-10) victory over the Rockets Thursday evening at Savage Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 14-3 (4-1 Mid-American Conference) on the season and take a half-match lead in the MAC West Division standings. The Rockets fall to 5-11 (0-5 MAC) with the loss.
"This was another great comeback on the road, resulting in a thrilling five-set victory" said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "I give a lot of credit to our girls for not giving up, especially after losing the third set in overtime. To rebound and play extremely well in sets four and five speaks volumes about the mental toughness of this team. This was a hard-earned win over a strong Toledo team which posted a win over a top 15-ranked team earlier in the year."
In addition to her match-high 25 kills, Brandl finished the contest with a .422 (25-6-45) attack percentage, while leading all players with four total blocks. She also chipped in four digs and an ace in the victory.
Freshman outside hitter Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) also had a solid night from the attack line, blasting 16 kills to go along with her four digs and three total blocks.
Two-time reigning MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) continued her solid defensive play, racking up a match-high 32 digs. The effort raised her NCAA-leading digs-per-set average from 5.95 to 5.98.
Junior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) added 15 digs in the contest to go along with a season-best 52 assists for her team-leading fifth double-double of the year. Freshman defensive specialist Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) also tallied double-digit digs for the Cardinals with 12.
Four Toledo attackers ended the night with double-digit kills, led by Becca Reidy's 13. Katie Westerfeld led the UT backcourt with 23 digs, while Amber DeWeerdt (12 kills and 18 digs) and Kassie Kadera (55 assists and 13 digs) each collected double-doubles for the Rockets.
As a team, the Cardinals finished the night with a .206 (67-26-199) attack percentage, while Toledo connected for a .236 (61-18-182) rate of success. UT also held a 91 to 86 advantage in digs. Ball State held the edge in aces (eight to six) and team blocks (five to three).
The Cardinals opened the match strong, using kills from Brandl and Heeres, as well as a pair of UT errors, to pull out to a 4-0 advantage. A kill from Toledo's DeWeerdt briefly stopped the Cardinals run, but two more kills from Brandl over the next three plays led to the Rockets' first timeout at 7-1.
While a kill from Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North H.S.) extended the Ball State edge to eight, at 12-4, four straight Toledo points pulled the hosts within four at 12-8. The gap remained four at the 14-10 mark before back-to-back Brandl markers, followed by another Heeres smash, led to Toledo's second timeout at 17-10.
The Rockets would capitalize on three BSU errors over the next four rallies to pull within three at 17-14, forcing the Cardinals to utilize their first timeout of the night. Despite a kill from Heeres out of the break, UT's rally continued as they eventually tied the set at 20.
Kills from Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.), McGinnis and Heeres helped BSU regain the lead at 23-21, while a Rio service ace gave BSU set point at 24-21. The Rockets mounted one more rally as they scored the next two points, but following BSU's second timeout, Brandl blasted the set-winning kill at 25-23.
Despite a kill from Brandl to open the second set, the Rockets used a kill from Reidy and a DeWeerdt ace to take their first lead of the night at 2-1. After the teams played to a 6-6 tie, a pair of blasts from both Cassie Kleespies and DeWeerdt helped the hosts pull ahead by five at 12-7.
A Brandl kill and a McGinnis ace helped Ball State battle back within three, at 12-9, only to have a four-point run from the Rockets force BSU's second timeout of the frame at 16-9. Unlike Toledo in the opening set, the Cardinals would not recover, dropping the game 25-16 on a kill from DeWeerdt.
Toledo took control of the third set early, posting four of the first five points, and eventually playing to a 10-6 advantage thanks in part to four kills from Bailey Blank. Trailing 21-15, the Cardinals would rattle off five of the next six points to force a Toledo timeout at 22-20. Moments later, kills from Brandl and Heeres helped BSU draw within one at 23-22.
A block from Brandl and Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven H.S.) tied the score at 23, while Brandl and Heeres combined for another block to give Ball State set-point at 24-23. After an attack error tied the score at 24, a Heeres kill gave BSU its second swing for the set at 25-24.
A kill from UT's Sondra Parys tied the score once again, only to see a smash from BSU's Brandl give the guests their third set-point at 26-25. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they could not close out the frame, as two errors and a McCall Paynter service ace allowed the hosts to escape with a 28-26 victory in the set.
Ball State jumped out to an 4-1 lead in the fourth set, thanks in part to a Brandl kill and a McGinnis service ace. Toledo battled back, however, with a 5-2 run to tie the score at six. From there, the teams traded several one-point leads as they fought to a 14-14 stalemate.
Back-to-back smashes from Baker broke the tie and led to Toledo's first timeout at 16-14. Two more Baker kills surrounding a marker from Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.) extended BSU's lead to five at 19-14 and forced the Rockets' second break.
With Ball State leading 22-16, three-straight Toledo points caused the Cardinals to call timeout at 22-19. A kill from Brandl would stop the hosts' momentum, however, while a Heeres blast to the hardwood gave BSU set-point at 24-20. A kill from Reidy kept UT alive momentarily, only to see Baker end the set for the Cardinals at 25-21.
BSU carried over the momentum into the fifth and final frame, as a Rio service ace and a kill and block from Brandl helped BSU surge to a 4-0 advantage. Another Brandl kill two rallies later extended the lead to 5-1. Some strong defensive play from the Rockets and a pair of BSU attack errors helped UT battle back within one at 5-4.
With Ball State holding a 6-5 lead, a UT service error and an ace from Brandl gave the Cardinals an 8-5 lead at the court switch. Four straight errors, two from each squad, moved the score to 10-7, while a DeWeerdt kill on the next play forced BSU's a timeout at 10-8.
A costly UT service error out of the break shifted the momentum back to the guests, while a Baker ace pushed the BSU lead back to four, at 12-8, leading to a Toledo timeout. A Heeres kill pushed the BSU lead to 13-9, while a McGinnis attack gave Ball State match-point at 14-9. The Cardinals went on to win the set 15-10 on a UT attack error.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Saturday, when it travels to Buffalo for a 5 p.m. first serve versus the Bulls.
