Ball State University
3-2
Georgia State
1-3
WVB Opens IUPUI Invite With Sweep Of Georgia State
August 31, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - - The Ball State (3-2) women's volleyball team used a balanced offensive attack to score a 3-0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-18) sweep of Georgia State (1-3) to open play in the 2012 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational Friday afternoon at The Jungle.
"We turned in our best offensive execution of the season," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "We have been trying to put that together all year. We have seen it in practice and we saw it a little bit versus Illinois State last Saturday, but we got into our best offensive rhythm of the season today. We are hoping that continues, because we know we are capable of it. We just have to go out and execute in matches. Today we took a step in the right direction."
As a team, the Cardinals finished the match with a season-high-tying .267 (46-14-120) attack percentage, while limiting the Panthers to a .067 (27-19-119) hitting mark.
Senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./Bradley BourbonnisCommunity/Maryland) led the Ball State offense with 11 kills, while four other Cardinals tallied eight markers each. Bates also collected a match-high four total blocks (one solo and three assists) and seven digs.
Senior transfer middle hitter Lisa Scott (McLean, Va./Langly/Maryland) turned in her best performance of the young season with a BSU career-high eight kills, while adding a pair of blocks (one solo and one assist).
Junior outside hitter Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield), junior middle blocker Mindy Marx (Grand Haven, Mich./Grand Haven) and junior opposite attacker Lauren Grant (Eagan, Minn./Eastview/Cincinnati) also scored eight kills apiece for the Cardinals.
Junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) led all players with a season-high 25 digs, while Baker tallied 13. Marx finished the match with three blocks assists and a pair of digs, while Grant hit a match-best .417 (8-1-17).
Jamiee Freeman and Dede Bohannon each tallied seven kills for Georgia State, while Emily Averbeck collected a team-best 23 digs.
In addition to winning the battle from the attack line, the Cardinals also held a 65-55 advantage in digs, while out-blocking the Panthers 6.5-5.0.
Ball State fell behind 2-1 early in the opening set, only to rally behind the serving of Fredrich to score the next five points. It was all BSU from there, as the Cardinals built a 10-point lead at 15-5 and went on to win the set 25-13 on a GSU service error. Marx led Ball State in the opening frame with five kills and a .625 (5-0-8) hitting mark.
With Ball State trailing 6-5 in the second set, a pair of kills from both Marx and Bates helped Ball State rattle off the next six points and take an 11-6 advantage. The Cardinals extended their run to eight points, pushing the score to 13-6, following a GSU timeout thanks to a block and a third Marx kill.
The Panthers would pull back within four points, at 17-13, but a kill from Grant followed by three consecutive markers from Baker helped BSU regain control at 21-13. Georgia State would score seven of the next eight points to draw within two, at 22-20, however a Bates kill stopped the Panthers momentum and helped BSU pull out a 25-21 set victory.
Georgia State held tough early in the third frame, holding a slim 7-6 advantage. However, a kill from Bates and two markers from Grant helped force a GSU timeout at 10-7. Ball State added five on the next six points, including a kill and block assist from Scott, leading to the Panthers second timeout at 15-8. Ball State put the set on cruise control from there, winning 25-18 on kill from Grant.
During the final push, freshman setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) recorded three of her seven assists to go along with her first career kill for BSU on a setter dump. Redshirt freshman frontcourt specialist Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) also scored a pair of kill to help end the third frame.
The Ball State women's volleyball team continues play in the 2012 IUPUI Hampton Inn Invitational Saturday with matches versus North Texas (10 a.m.) and tournament host IUPUI (7 p.m.) at The Jungle.
