Ball State University
9-6 (2-0MAC)
Akron
8-6 (1-1MAC)
Women?s Volleyball Tops Akron 3-1
September 23, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team picked up its fifth consecutive win, topping Mid-American Conference East Division foe Akron by a score of 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-17, 25-16) Saturday evening at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 9-6 (2-0 MAC). The Zips drop to 8-6 (1-1 MAC) with the loss.
Leading the way for the Ball State attack was senior outside hitter Kara Bates (Bradley, Ill./Bradley Bourbonnais Community/Maryland) who tallied a match-best 14 kills, while adding nine digs and five total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. She also hit .281 (14-5-32).
However, it was the impressive play of freshman setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) which stole the show. In her first career start on the left side, Spadafora blasted a career-high 11 kills and hit for a .381 (11-3-21) rate of success to help carry the Ball State offense. She also tallied three total blocks, including a solo block, and five digs on defense.
Senior transfer middle hitter Lisa Scott (McLean, Va./Langley/Maryland) also tied her career-high with 11 kills, while hitting .400 (11-3-20). Her seven block assists led all players and were a Ball State career-high.
Overall, the Ball State offense connected for a .250 (53-22-124) rate of success, with junior setter Jacqui Seidel (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles East) dishing out 43 assists and adding nine digs.
In the backcourt, junior libero Catie Fredrich (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Menomonee Falls) added a match-best 18 digs.
Chelsea Harvey led the Akron attack, which finished the match with a .109 (42-27-138) team hitting mark, with 12 kills. Alex Cocklin would add 11 kills, while Jill Paluch had a team-best 13 digs.
Including its decisive attacking advantage, Ball State also posted a 59-42 advantage in digs. Both teams recorded 11 team blocks, while Akron out-aced BSU 3-1.
Some early strong serving from Fredrich, along with a pair of Bates kills, helped the Cardinals pull out to a 7-2 advantage in the opening set. Akron would get no closer than four points the rest of the frame, as the Cardinals won the set 25-17 on a kill from Bates.
The Zips pulled out to a 6-3 advantage in the second set, only to see Ball Sate battle back and tie the score at 8-8. Akron would answer with the next three points and never trail again, winning the frame 25-20 on a kill from Morgan Kuhn.
The third set started with the teams playing to a 3-3 tie, before a kill from Scott sparked a 6-0 BSU run. Akron would manage to battle back within two, at 13-11, only to see BSU pull ahead 19-12. The Cardinals continued to hold the momentum from there, winning the set 25-17 on one of junior opposite hitter Lauren Grant's (Eagan, Minn./Eastview/Cincinnati) nine kills.
Ball State scored five of the first six points in the fourth frame, only to have Akron battle back and even the score at 6-6. BSU answered with the next four points, and would maintain the advantage from there. After pulling ahead 19-12 for the second consecutive set, the Cardinals went on to win the frame 25-16 as a kill and solo block from Bates gave BSU the final two points of the night.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it travels to Northern Illinois for a 7 p.m. (CT) first serve against the defending MAC regular season champion Huskies.
