Ball State University
Miami
Volleyball Rallies Past Miami; 3-1
October 22, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - In front of a season-high 1133 fans, the Ball State women's volleyball team scored a 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23) victory over visiting Miami Friday evening at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 19-3 (8-1 MAC) and run the nation's fifth-longest homecourt winning streak to 21 matches. The RedHawks fall to 12-11 (3-6 MAC) with the loss.
"I give our team credit for playing with a lot of mental toughness tonight," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "The girls who came in off the bench were huge for us. Kara was a big factor, giving us the lift we needed. In game four, Mindy helped get us back into that set with some big kills, as well as a pair of blocks. I was really proud of the way the girls hung on and won the match."
Playing in just the final three sets, junior outside hitter Kara Bates would tally 12 kills for the Cardinals, while connecting for a .296 (12-4-27) hitting mark. She also collected a pair of digs and a block assist.
Sophomore outside hitter Kylee Baker racked up a match-high 13 kills, while adding 10 digs for her fifth double-double this season and the 11th of her career. She also collected a pair of block assists and a service ace.
After serving as a defensive specialist in the opening set, senior setter Brittany McGinnis ran the offense in the final three frames and collected her sixth double-double of the season (38th career) with 33 assists and 16 digs. She also made some key attacking moves on the night, finishing with seven kills and a .778 (7-0-9) hitting mark, while leading Ball State to a .194 (62-28-175) rate of success as a team.
Senior middle attacker Jennifer Boyd rounded out a trio of Cardinals with double-digit kills, blasting 10. She also collected a pair of block assists.
For the match, the Cardinals defense dominated the RedHawks, out-digging the guests from Oxford 89-68. A big part of that total came from sophomore libero Catie Fredrich who tied her career-high with 31 digs. She also blasted a match-winning service ace. Along with Fredrich, Baker and McGinnis, senior defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra also tallied double-digit digs with 11.
A trio of Miami attackers finished the night with 10 kills; Jenn Caylor, Amy Raseman and Christina Menche. Madison Hardy paced the RedHawks with 20 digs.
For the match, the Cardinals limited the RedHawks to a .172 (50-21-169) hitting mark, while holding a 6-5 edge in aces. Both teams collected six team blocks, while Ball State committed just three service errors to Miami's eight.
The Cardinals looked poised to pull away with the match early, playing to a 14-5 advantage in the first set, however the RedHawks fought back and eventually won the opening frame 25-23.
With Ball State leading 20-18 in the second game, a kill from sophomore right side hitter Lauren Grant and some strong serving from Fredrich helped BSU rattle off the next four points and eventually win the game 25-20.
The Cardinals pulled out to a 17-11 edge in the third frame, only to see Miami rally back and tie the score at 18. With BSU leading 22-21, kills from Bates and Boyd gave BSU the momentum, as they went on to win 25-22 on a kill from Baker.
Miami controlled play early in the fourth game, building a 7-1 lead. However, BSU battled back to tie the score at 13. From there, the teams played to a 23-23 stalemate, before a McGinnis kill and an ace from Fredrich gave the Cardinals the set, at 25-23, and the match.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Saturday, when it hosts Bowling Green in a 7 p.m. match at Worthen Arena.
