Ball State University
17-13
MAC Quarterfinals vs. No. 5 Western Michigan
20-13
Volleyball Ends Season With 3-1 Loss To WMU
November 23, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
ATHENS, Ohio - - The Ball State women's volleyball team saw its 2014 season come to an end with a 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24) loss to Western Michigan in the quarterfinal round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Saturday night at Ohio's Convocation Center.
The Cardinals end the season with a 17-13 overall record, while the Broncos improve to 20-13 and advance to play top-seed Ohio in Sunday's 5:30 p.m. semifinal match.
“After a slow start to the match, we put ourselves in position to force a fifth and deciding game,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “However, we failed to make a critical defensive play late in the fourth set on an attack from the back row. We have had three incredibly close matches with Western Michigan this season, and unfortunately we did not win the one we needed the most. We look forward to returning our entire team next year in hopes of becoming one the best teams in Ball State history.”
In another strong outing against the Broncos, redshirt freshman outside hitter Sabrina Mangapora (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) paced a trio of Cardinals with double-figure kills by tying for match-high honors with 14. The All-MAC Second Team honoree also finished the match hitting .237 (14-5-38) and added a dig and a block assist.
Redshirt junior middles Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) and Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) also had strong offensive nights, adding 13 and 11 kills, respectively. Hopkins led the Ball State attack with a .435 (11-1-23) attack percentage, while both 2014 All-MAC First Team selections added two block assists.
In the backcourt, junior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) recorded a match-high 23 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Nikki Box (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) added 14. Junior setter and All-MAC First Team selection Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) added 13 digs and also dished out 44 assists to finish the contest with her seventh double-double of the season.
Overall, the Cardinals were able to out-hit the Broncos .209 (53-20-158) to .194 (53-23-155) for the match. However, Western Michigan was able to capitalize on 10 Ball State service errors and seven aces to pull out the victory.
MAC Freshman of the Year Sydney LeMay led the Broncos attack with 14 kills, while Ali Gossen added 13. Caroline Rose led the WMU defense with 19 digs.
After Western Michigan posted a dominating 25-12 opening-set victory, the Cardinals looked poised to even the match leading 20-18 late in the second set. However, WMU tallied the next seven points to win the frame 25-20.
With the score of the third set tied at 13, Ball State put together an 8-2 run to take control at 21-15. The Cardinals kept their season alive by winning the frame 25-21. Ball State looked poised to even the match, leading 24-23 in the fourth game. Unfortunately, back-to-back Gossen kills and a Lexie Pawlik service ace allowed WMU to close out the set 26-24 and win the match 3-1.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
