Ball State University
21-3 (10-1MAC)
Toledo
8-15 (3-8MAC)
Women?s Volleyball Survives Toledo; 3-2
October 28, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - With the match on the line, senior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl came up with the biggest play of the night acing Toledo for the final point and securing a 3-2 (24-26, 25-21, 28-26, 14-25, 17-15) victory for the Cardinals in a Thursday night Mid-American Conference battle at Savage Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals escape Toledo with a 21-3 (10-1 MAC) record. The Rockets fall to 8-15 (3-8 MAC) with the loss.
Four Cardinals finished the match with double-digit kills led by junior transfer Kara Bates' 18 markers. Bates also collected 11 digs in the match to finish with her second double-double of the season. She also tallied a pair of solo blocks and a service ace.
Senior middle blocker Jennifer Boyd tied a season-high with 14 kills in the contest, while pacing all players with .522 (14-2-23) hitting mark. She also tied for match-high honors with four blocks.
Also collecting double-digit kills for the Cardinals were Brandl with 11 and sophomore outside hitter Whitney Heeres with 10. Brandl added three blocks and a pair of aces.
Four-time defending MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week Catie Fredrich led all players with a match-high 23 digs, while sophomore outside hitter Kylee Baker tallied 17.
Senior setter Brittany McGinnis led the Ball State offense to a .246 (68-23-183) hitting mark as a team, recording her seventh double-double of the season with a career-high 60 assists and 12 digs.
Becca Reidy led the Toledo attack with a career-high 21 kills, while Sondra Parys added 17 and Lauren Rafdal posted 14. Amber DeWeerdt tallied a team-high 20 digs.
For the match, the Cardinals limited Toledo to a .237 (70-25-190) hitting mark, while out-blocking the Rockets 12-9 as a team. Ball State also held an 82-75 in digs.
Trailing 22-14 in the opening set, the Cardinals rallied back within one point at 22-21 on a kill from Bates. Two Boyd blasts and a Toledo setting error helped Ball State tie the score at 24, but the BSU rally fell short as UT's Parys pounded back-to-back markers to end the frame at 26-24.
Toledo jumped out to a 7-3 lead in the second frame, only to have BSU battle back and tie the score at 10. From there, the teams played to a 20-20 stalemate before a kill and ace from Bates gave Ball State the momentum and forced a Rockets timeout. BSU reached set point at 24-20 on a block from Boyd and Grant, before winning the set two rallies later on a Grant kill.
Boyd scored a kill and two block assists over the first four rallies to give BSU a 3-1 advantage in the third set. Toledo scored the next two points, tying the score at 3-3, but Ball State would play out to a 17-12 lead. The Rockets answered back, tying the score at 22 and reaching set-point at 24-23.
Toledo had three swings for the set, only to see BSU answer each time. With the score knotted at 26, sophomore setter Jacqui Seidel tallied a block to give BSU its first set point. Boyd finished off the set with her seventh kill of the frame at 28-26.
The Rockets took an early 11-4 lead in the fourth set and never looked back winning the game 25-14.
Toledo pulled out to a 6-3 lead in the fifth set and maintained an 8-5 edge at the court switch. A block from McGinnis and Brandl, followed by a Bates kill, helped Ball State pull back within one at 8-7. Following a UT timeout, the Cardinals tied the score at 8-8 on a Toledo attack error.
From there the teams played to a 14-14 tie, before a Rafdal kill gave Toledo match point. A kill from Bates kept the Cardinals alive, while a UT attack error gave BSU its first set-point at 16-15. Brandl followed with the match-winning ace at 17-15.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Saturday, when it hosts Buffalo in a 7 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena. The Cardinals enter the contest with the fourth longest active homecourt winning streak in the nation at 22 matches.
