Ball State University
3-6
Wisconsin
8-0
No. 4 Wisconsin Sweeps Women?s Volleyball
September 14, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MADISON, Wis. - - The Ball State (3-6) women's volleyball team ended play in the HotelRED Invitational with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-20) loss to fourth-ranked Wisconsin (8-0) Saturday evening at the UW Field House.
Against a stingy Badgers defense, redshirt junior opposite attacker Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) led the Cardinals offense with seven kills and posted a .500 (7-1-12) attack percentage.
"Playing the defending national runner-up in front of their home crowd of almost 4,200 fans and the nation's finest pep band was an experience our team will never forget," Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. "Wisconsin is a national contender and we battled them strong in sets two and three this evening. Wisconsin makes you earn every point and is clearly one of the best defensive teams in the nation. In set two, we began to compete with them defensively and won some incredibly long rallies. This weekend was truly an experience which will benefit our team in the future."
In the backcourt, redshirt junior libero Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont/Morehead State) led the Ball State defense with 14 digs and finished the two-day event with 59 digs for a 4.53 per-set average.
Overall, the Wisconsin defense limited the Ball State attack to just 26 kills and a .082 (26-18-97) rate of success for the match. The Badgers, in contrast, finished the match hitting .336 (46-10-107).
From the service line, junior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) led all players with three service aces. She also dished out 22 assists in the match and earned a spot on the HotelRED Invitational All-Tournament team for her play over the two-day event.
Wisconsin's Ellen Chapman paced all players with 12 kills, while Muncie native and Burris graduate Taylor Morey collected a match-best 15 digs.
The Cardinals broke onto the scoreboard first against the fourth-ranked Badgers, as a UW attack error gave Ball State a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. Unfortunately, Wisconsin answered with the next seven points and never looked back, winning the frame 25-11.
Ball State struck first again in the second set, as a kill from redshirt junior middle hitter Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) gave the guests a 1-0 edge. The Cardinals would go on to build a 7-4 lead thanks in part to back-to-back aces from Spadafora. Unfortunately, UW battled back to even the score at 7-7, and the frame remained tied at the 15-15 mark. From there, the Badgers would score 10 of the final 12 points to win the set 25-17.
Wisconsin carried over the momentum in the third frame, pulling out to a 6-0 advantage. The Badgers went on to build a 10-point lead, at 12-2, and held an eight-point advantage at 20-12. The Cardinals would battle back within three, at 21-18, only to drop the set 25-20.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Wednesday, when it travels up I-69 to battle in-state rival IPFW for a 7 p.m. first serve at the Gates Sports Center.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com –
