Ball State University
6-7
VCU
4-7
Volleyball's Comeback Attempt At VCU Falls Short
September 20, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
RICHMOND, Va. - - Despite a furious fifth-set rally, the Ball State women's volleyball team closed play in the VCU Invitational with a 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 15-25, 25-14, 15-13) setback to the host Rams Saturday morning at the Siegel Center.
Trailing 14-5 in the final set, the Cardinals (6-7) exploded for eight straight points on a service run from redshirt junior libero Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont/Morehead State), which included a pair of aces, to pull within one at 14-13. Unfortunately, a kill from the Rams' (4-7) Janelle Sykes halted the Ball State rally and allowed the host squad to escape with the match victory.
“For three-and-a-half games, we played some of our best volleyball of the season against a very good VCU club,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “Unfortunately, we were not able to maintain our composure and poise in the fourth set and the beginning of the fifth, and that cost us. When we finally did find our composure, we nearly pulled off one of the greatest come-from-behind victories in Ball State history. Overall, we learned the most valuable lesson a young team can learn, the value of poise and composure during times of great adversity.”
Leading the Ball State attack versus VCU was redshirt sophomore outside hitter Mackenzie Kitchel (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) with 12 kills. From the middle, redshirt junior Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) also turned in a strong performance, adding 11 kills and a match-best .455 (11-1-22) attack percentage. Benson also led Ball State at the net with four total blocks.
Redshirt junior outside hitter Jill Hopper (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown/Florida Gulf Coast) also finished the match with double-digit kills, smashing a Ball State career-high 10 markers to go along with three digs.
Fuelling finished the contest tied for match-high honors with 22 digs, while junior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) earned her third double-double of the season with 46 assists and 12 digs. Sophomore defensive specialist Nikki Box (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) added 11 digs and a career-high four service aces.
VCU's Sykes led all players with 18 kills, while Mary Kilbane tied Fuelling for match-high honors with 22 digs. The Rams held a .227 (64-25-172) to .158 (52-26-165) attacking advantage, and also out-dug the Cardinals 80 to 73. Ball State won the battle at the service line with eight aces compared to two from the Rams.
Ball State pulled out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set, and maintained a four-point lead at the 9-5 mark. Unfortunately, the Rams battled back to even the score at 12 and take their first lead at 15-14. Ball State tied the score at 15 thanks to a kill from redshirt junior middle hitter Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), however, the hosts went on a 10-4 run to take the frame 25-19.
The Cardinals held the advantage for most of the second set, only to see VCU tie the score at 20 and again at 22. The Rams took their first, and only, lead of the frame at 23-22. However, a pair of kills from Kitchel helped Ball State rattle off the next three points to win the set 25-23.
With Ball State trailing 3-2 in the third set, a kill from Hopper and some strong serving from Box helped the Cardinals post the next seven points and take a 9-3 edge. The Cardinals never looked back from there, winning the frame 25-15 on a kill from Benson.
VCU returned the favor in the fourth set, turning a 5-4 lead into a nine-point advantage, at 13-4, thanks to an eight-point run. From there, the Rams controlled play, going on to win the set 25-14.
The hosts looked like they were going to cruise to a five-set victory, pulling ahead 9-2 and 14-5 in the fifth set. However, the Cardinals would not go away without a fight, scoring the next eight points thanks in part to a pair of Fuelling aces and a pair of Hopper kills. Unfortunately, Ball State could not complete the come-back, as a Sykes kill stopped the Cardinals run and allowed the Rams to end the frame at 15-13.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will now turn its attention to Mid-American Conference play, as it opens league play next weekend with matches at Western Michigan (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Northern Illinois (Saturday at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
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