Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
10-2
Appalachian State
9-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 22 | 12 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Appalachian State | 25 | 25 | 17 | 22 | 9 | 2 |
Women?s Volleyball Rallies Past Appalachian State
September 19, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - - The Ball State (10-2) women's volleyball team rallied from two sets down to score a thrilling 3-2 (22-25, 12-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-9) victory over Appalachian State (9-4) Saturday evening in the team's final match of the 2010 Tar Heel Classic hosted by North Carolina.
The come-from-behind victory was the Cardinals first when trailing by two sets since the end of the 2003 season, when Ball State earned a hard-fought 3-2 (23-30, 29-31, 30-21, 30-26, 18-16) win over No. 17 Louisville on its home court.
"The last three sets were the best we have played all year," said head coach Steve Shondell. "It was a great comeback victory and a wonderful way to finish the tournament. We had a combination that played really well together after a couple of changes following game two. The combination clicked and played with great determination and Ball State pride in the final three games to pull off an amazing victory."
Overall, three Cardinals finished the match with double-digit kills with 15 each from freshman outside hitter Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.) and junior middle blocker Jennifer Boyd (Evans City, Pa./Seneca Valley H.S.), while fellow junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) added 12.
In addition to her 12 kills, Brandl led the Cardinals with five total blocks (two solo and three assists), while Boyd added two block assists.
Freshman setter Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East H.S.) guided the Cardinals' comeback, setting the final three sets, guiding BSU to a .260 (39-12-104) rate of success in the final three frames. In the final set, Ball State connected for a .500 (9-0-18) mark. Seidel also tallied career-bests of three aces, 34 assists and eight digs.
In the backcourt, senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) led all players with 22 digs, while freshmen Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) and Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls H.S.) added 12 each.
For their efforts in the two-day tournament, Heeres and Rio were named to the all-tournament team.
Ball State secured the come-from-behind victory despite being out-hit .235 (64-24-170) to .185 (59-26-178), out-dug 76 to 71 and out-blocked 15 to seven. BSU did hold the advantage from the service line, with eight aces compared to two for the Mountaineers.
Kelly Rhein led the ASU attack with 17 kills, while Maggie Seeds added 14 and Meghann Forshey collected 11. Courtney Rhein led the Mountaineers with 19 digs, while K. Rhein added 12 digs for a double-double.
The Mountaineers opened the match strong, scoring the first three points and building a five-point advantage at 9-4. The lead remained five at the 15-10 mark, before some strong play from Baker - two kills and an ace - helped rally the Cardinals to a 16-16 tie.
However, back-to-back kills from ASU's Alison Blasingame swung the momentum back to the Mountaineers, as they went on to win the set 25-22 on a kill from Seeds. BSU would get as close as one at 22-21, only to see Appalachian State score three of the final four points.
Appalachian State got off to another quick start in the second set, using three blocks and an ace to force an early Ball State timeout at 4-0. ASU added five of the next six points, pulling ahead 9-1, before winning the set 25-12.
The Cardinals used an ASU attack error and a kill from Heeres to take this first lead of the match at 2-0 to open the third set. After the Mountaineers tied the score at three, the Cardinals collected four straight points, including a service ace from Kaylee Schembra (Indianapolis, Ind./Roncalli H.S.), to pull ahead 7-3.
Moments later, kills from Charde' Phillips (Elyria, Ohio/Elyria H.S.) and Baker forced an Appalachian State timeout at 11-5. Several rallies later, a Heeres kill extended the BSU lead to eight at 14-6. The eight-point advantage was short-lived, however, as ASU battled back within four to cause a BSU timeout at 15-11.
After the timeout, the Cardinals used a kill and solo block from Brandl, as well as an ace from Seidel, to reclaim the eight-point edge at 19-11. From there, a Heeres kill gave BSU set-point at 24-17, while a Baker ace ended the frame at 25-17.
Ball State jumped out to a 3-0 lead behind a block from Heeres and Brandl, plus another Seidel ace, to open the fourth frame. BSU eventually extended the lead to five points at 7-2, only to see the Mountaineers rally back and tie the score at nine.
With the score tied at 10, four kills from Brandl over the next six rallies helped the Cardinals reclaim a four-point edge at 15-11. ASU answered back once again, tying the frame at 16. From there, the teams battled to a 21-21 stalemate before a Appalachian State attach error and a block from Brandl and Seidel led to an ASU timeout at 23-21.
Two rallies later, a kill from Heeres gave BSU set-point at 24-22, while a Seidel service ace, her third of the night, ended the frame at 25-22.
The teams traded the first seven points of the fifth game, before a kill from Boyd gave BSU the first two-point lead at 5-3. A kill from Heeres off the Appalachian State block gave the Cardinals an 8-6 lead at the court switch. While kills from ASU's Seeds and Forshey knotted the score at eight, back-to-back attack errors and another Boyd kill forced the Mountaineers to use their final timeout trailing 11-8.
A block from Brandl and Boyd after the break extended the lead to four, while an attack error pushed it to five at 13-8. A Brandl kill gave the Cardinals match-point at 14-9, while an ASU ball handling error completed the Cardinals biggest comeback since the end of the 2003 season.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens Mid-American Conference with a 7 p.m. (CT) first serve at Northern Illinois. BSU continues MAC play Saturday, with another 7 p.m. start at Western Michigan.
