Ball State University
14-2 (3-0MAC)
Northern Illinois
12-5 (1-2MAC)
Women?s Volleyball Rallies Past Northern Illinois
October 01, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Trailing two games to one and 20-15 in the fourth set, the Ball State women's volleyball team put together a tremendous rally to take down Mid-American Conference pre-season favorite Northern Illinois 3-2 (25-21, 19-25, 11-25, 25-23, 15-9) Friday evening in a pivotal West Division showdown at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 14-2 (3-0 MAC) and run their homecourt winning streak to 19 matches, which is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. BSU's 14-2 record is also the best 16-match record in program history. The Huskies fall to 12-5 (1-2 MAC) with the loss.
"That was an amazing comeback to win the fourth set and the match," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "Our team played with a lot of heart in the fifth game and was not going to be denied. What a tremendous comeback victory."
Leading the comeback was the strong attacking of sophomore outside hitters Whitney Heeres and Kylee Baker. Heeres finished the match with a team-high 18 kills, while Baker added nine, including three clutch markers at the end of the fourth set.
Senior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl also helped turn the tide in the fourth frame, adding a kill and a pair of aces to bring Ball State within one point at 21-20. She would finish with a match-high four aces to go along with eight kills and four block assists.
"We knew Northern Illinois was a great team," added Shondell. "We saw them play great volleyball and they really dominated us for most of the match, until we caught fire with the help of Kelsey. Her jump serve turned the fourth game around, as she provided a pair of huge aces to help us get back into the game."
In addition to her nine kills, Baker added 15 digs, a .318 hitting mark and a service ace. Heeres collected a pair of blocks and a .333 hitting mark to go along with her 18 kills.
Also helping out with double-digit kills for Ball State was senior middle blocker/right side attacker Jennifer Boyd, with 10. She would also hit a match-best .478 (12-1-23) for the night.
Sophomore setter Jacqui Seidel also helped the Cardinals rally back, setting part of the third game, as well as the entire final two sets. She finished the night one dig shy of her first career double-double with 23 assists and nine digs. She also added a pair of block assists.
Sophomore libero Catie Fredrich paced the Cardinals backcourt with 16 digs, while senior setter Brittany McGinnis added 14.
The nation's leading attacker Lauren Wicinski paced the NIU offense with a match-high 25 kills, while adding three aces and a match-best 19 digs. Allison McGlaughlin and MacKenzie Roddy also tallied double-digit kills for the Huskies with 11 and 10, respectively.
NIU would out-hit the Cardinals .258 to .218 for the night, while holding a 71-70 advantage in digs and an 8-6 edge in team blocks. Ball State out-aced the Huskies 7-6, while committing six fewer service errors.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes its two-match home state tomorrow (Saturday) with a 7 p.m. first serve against MAC West rival Western Michigan.
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