Ball State University
8-6 (1-0MAC)
Toledo
6-7 (0-1MAC)
Women?s Volleyball Opens MAC Play With Sweep Of Toledo
September 21, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team opened Mid-American Conference play with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-21) sweep of Toledo Thursday evening at Worthen Arena.
With the victory, Ball State improves to 8-6 (1-0 MAC) on the season, having won its last four matches. Toledo falls to 6-7 (0-1 MAC) with the loss.
"It's nice to open MAC play with a win," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "We did what we had to do tonight to bring home the victory, especially coming up with some big points to end the first set. Toledo fought us hard all night, and I give our team credit for hanging in and battling through. We have come a long way in the first month of the season, but the key is we have to keep getting better."
Reigning MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week, senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais Community/Maryland) continued her solid offensive play, blasting a match-high 19 kills, nine more than the next closest player in Toledo's Lauren Rafdal.
Bates also finished the night with an impressive .410 (19-3-39) attack percentage, helping lead BSU to a .226 (51-23-124) hitting mark as a team. She also collected nine digs, a solo block and an ace.
Junior outside hitter Kylee Baker (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) added eight kills and tied for team-high honors with 13 digs, while junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) also collected 13 digs.
With her 13 digs, Fredrich upped her career total to 1,070 which moves her up one spot to 13th on BSU's all-time career digs chart.
Overall, the Ball Stat defense limited the Toledo attack, which was paced by Rafdal, to a .126 (32-18-111) hitting mark for the night, including a -.071 (6-8-28) effort in the second set. UT's McCall Paynter led all players with 13 digs.
BSU held a 52-42 advantage in digs in the contest, while serving up four aces to Toledo's one. The Rockets out-blocked the Cardinals 10-2.
Ball State held a 16-10 edge midway through the first set, only to see the Rockets battle back and even the score at 18. Ball State answered with a 5-1 run to reach set-point at 24-19. However, Toledo would not give in, scoring six of the next seven points to force overtime. With the score knotted at 25, back-to-back blasts from Bates, part of her nine in the set, allowed the Cardinals to claim the opening frame 27-25.
The Cardinals came out fired up in the second set, pulling ahead 5-1, before a run by the guests brought them back within one at 9-8. However, the Cardinals would score 11 of the next 14 points to pull ahead 20-11. Junior setter Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) would put down the frame-winner at 25-16.
Toledo took an early 11-9 edge in the third set, only to have the Cardinals respond with the next four points, including an ace from Seidel, to claim the advantage at 13-11. Toledo managed to tie the score at 15, but the Cardinals pulled away from there, winning the set 25-21 on Bates' 19th marker of the night.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Saturday, when it hosts Akron in a 7:30 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
