Ball State University
14-11 (8-4MAC)
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Western Michigan
16-11 (7-5MAC)
Volleyball Holds On To Top WMU In Five-Set Thriller
November 02, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - In a match filled with big plays, Ball State women's volleyball junior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) came up with a critical kill late in the fifth set to help the Cardinals claim a thrilling 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 17-15) victory over Western Michigan Saturday night in Worthen Arena.
With the fifth set tied at 4-4, Spadafora served the Cardinals (14-11 / 8-4 Mid-American Conference) to a 10-4 lead by blasting a career-high four service aces in a six-point run. However, the Broncos (16-11 / 7-5 MAC) would not be deterred, rallying back to even the score at 14.
That is when Spadafora came up with arguably the biggest play of the night, as she sliced a kill through the WMU defense on a ball which was originally blocked by the Broncos and dug high and tight to the net by redshirt junior middle blocker Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley). WMU scored the following point, to tie the score at 15, but Benson and redshirt freshman outside hitter Sabrina Mangapora (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) responded with back-to-back kills to secure the Ball State victory.
“Tonight was a match we needed to win for a lot of different reasons, first and foremost to get our confidence back by beating a really good team,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “We have a great rivalry with Western Michigan, with both matches this season ending in overtime. I give a lot of credit to Jenna Spadafora for not only her service run to put us up 10-4 in the fifth set, but for the great play she made to give us a 15-14 lead. I thought that was the play of the match.”
In addition to her pivotal kill and four service aces, Spadafora guided the Ball State offense to a .252 (70-30-159) attack percentage by tying a career-high with 60 assists. She also tallied six digs and finished the contest with three kills and a block assists.
Benson went on to pace all players with a career-high 19 kills, while hitting for a .516 (19-3-31) attack percentage. Mangapora also put together one of her best collegiate matches, with career-highs of 18 kills and a .536 (18-3-28) hitting mark.
Redshirt junior middle attacker Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) also finished the match with double-digit kills, as she collected 16 markers and logged a .400 (16-4-30) attack percentage. Redshirt junior opposite Amanda Raker (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian/Butler) nearly gave Ball State a fourth player with double-figure kills for the second straight night, as she blasted nine kills and also recorded a pair of solo blocks.
In the backcourt, junior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Cardinals with 14 digs, while junior transfer defensive specialist Marissa Hine (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville/Belmont) added a Ball State career-high 11 digs and a career-best four service aces.
Ava Stout paced four Western Michigan players in double-figures with 14 kills, while WMU libero Sierra Hubbard-Neil collected a match-best 16 digs. As a team, the Broncos finished the match with a .245 (62-24-155) attack percentage. WMU held a 12.0 to 9.0 edge in total blocks, while the Cardinals held a 56 to 53 advantage in digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road next weekend for matches at Central Michigan (Friday) and Eastern Michigan (Saturday). Both contests are set for 7 p.m. first serves.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
