Ball State University
9-10 (2-4MAC)
Eastern Michigan
13-9 (3-3MAC)
Volleyball Drops 3-1 Decision To Eastern Michigan
October 07, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Despite holding the advantage in nearly every statistical category, the Ball State women's volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 26-24) loss to Mid-American Conference rival Eastern Michigan Saturday night at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals drop to 9-10 (2-4 MAC) with the loss, while the Eagles improve to 13-9 (3-3 MAC) with its second victory of the weekend.
"Eastern Michigan is a great defensive team and they were able to take the wind out of our sails with some big defensive plays," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "They made the key plays on defense that we were not able to come up with tonight. As a team, we have to make more defensive plays. That is what the match came down to tonight."
Offensively, senior transfer middle hitter Lisa Scott (McLean, Va./Langley/Maryland) turned in another tremendous performance with a career-high 18 kills, marking the second consecutive match she has posted career-high kill numbers. She also posted a .562 (18-0-32) hitting mark in the night, while adding a match-best four total blocks, including three solo stuffs.
Joining Scott with double-digit kills for Ball State were senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais Community/Maryland) and junior middle attacker Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) with 18 and 10, respectively. Bates would also add 10 digs for her second consecutive double-double, while Marx also tallied a block assists.
Junior setter Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) also earned her second consecutive double-double, and 10th of the season, with a career-high 54 assists and 11 digs. Overall, she set the Ball State offense to a .297 (61-17-148) hitting mark on the night, and added an ace.
Junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led the Ball State backcourt with 17 digs, while senior defensive specialist Claire Farkas (Granger, Ind./Penn) and freshman defensive specialist Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) each posted career-high dig numbers with 12 and 11, respectively.
The Eastern Michigan offense was paced by Rachel Iaquaniello's 21 kills, with Erin Short and Kristen Baker adding 14 each. Wapahani graduate Sierra Reed added a team-best 15 digs.
Overall, the Ball State defense limited the EMU attack to a .261 (63-20-165) hitting effort, while out-digging the Eagles 74-64. BSU also held a 5-4 edge in team blocks.
The teams battled to an 11-11 stalemate in the opening set, before an EMU service error and a kill from Bates gave BSU the edge for good in the frame. With BSU holding a 19-14 lead, the Eagles would battle back within one, at 19-18, but BSU responded with five of the next seven points to reach set-point at 24-20. Bates would end the set moments later, at 25-22, with her eighth kill in the opening set.
With the score of the second set knotted at 4-4, EMU rattled off seven of the next nine points to take an 11-6 edge. Ball State would score the next three points, thanks in part to a pair of Scott kills, to draw within two at 11-9. However, the Eagles answered back with three straight and went on to win the frame 25-21.
The third set was a back-and-forth battle as the teams played to a 21-21 deadlock. Unfortunately, a kill from Paige Roback and a BSU error gave the guests the momentum, and they would win the frame 25-23.
The Eagles looked poised to pull way with the fourth frame, holding an 18-13 edge. However, four EMU errors and a pair of kills from freshman setter/outside hitter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) helped the Cardinals battle back and take a 19-18 lead. The two teams then slugged it out to a 24-24 tie, before a pair of Iaquaniello kills allowed the Eagles to win the set 26-24 and the match 3-1.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it hosts Kent State in a 7 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
