Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
9-10, 3-2MAC
Central Michigan
7-11, 2-3MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 13 | 21 | 25 | 11 | 1 |
| Central Michigan | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
Errors Costly in Women?s Volleyball Loss at Central Michigan
October 10, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - - For a moment it looked like the makings of another five-set thriller for the Ball State women's volleyball team Friday night on ESPN3, however, the Cardinals early hiccups came back in the fourth set as Central Michigan closed out a 3-1 (25-13, 25-21, 23-25, 25-11) victory at McGuirk Arena.
Trailing by two sets, the Cardinals (9-10 / 3-2 Mid-American Conference) briefly claimed the momentum early in the third, pulling ahead 16-8. While the Chippewas (7-11, 2-3 MAC) managed to battle back and tie the score at 21, Ball State stayed calm and capitalized on kills from freshman middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) and senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) to win the frame 25-23 and stay alive in the match.
Ball State already owned a pair of five-set wins on ESPN3 this season, including rallying from two sets down to top New Mexico in its debut on the platform Aug. 29. However, the errors which plagued the Cardinals in a 25-13 opening set loss resurfaced in the fourth, as Central Michigan won the final game 25-11 to deny the come-from-behind victory.
“Tonight we ran into the same Central Michigan team that two weeks ago, went on the road and defeated the defending MAC tournament champion Western Michigan,” sixth-year Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “CMU has been a very hot and cold team in the early going of the MAC season, and tonight we saw their hot side. They simply took the game to us and we were not able to counterpunch except in set three. After finding our rhythm in the third game, we lost it again right out of the gate in the fourth and never recovered. CMU was an outstanding team tonight, and was rewarded with a great victory.”
Holland turned in the Cardinals best overall offensive performance against the Chippewas, smashing seven kills and hitting .385 (7-2-13) on a night which saw the Ball State offense as a whole limited to a season-low .054 (41-33-148) attack percentage, including negative hitting marks in both the first and fourth stanzas.
Senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) led the Ball State offense with 10 kills, while senior outside Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont /Morehead State) added eight.
In the backcourt, senior libero Kati Vasalakis' (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led all players with 23 digs and paced Ball State's primary passers with a .964 (27-for-28) reception percentage. In her most significant action of the season, freshman defensive specialist Lauren Schreiner (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) also provided a spark in the backcourt with a career-high 14 digs and a .941 (16-for-17) reception percentage.
In addition to holding the Ball State offense at bay, Central Michigan was able to hit .278 (51-14-133) against a Cardinals defense which entered the match rank second in the league with a .180 opponent attack percentage. CMU's Jordan Bueter led all players with 16 kills and hit for a .533 (16-0-30) rate of success.
CMU also held a 9.0-to-4.0 advantage in team blocks, a 62-to-61 edge in total digs and out-aced the Cardinals 7-to-3 on the night.
The Ball State women's volleyball team completes its two-match stay in the state of Michigan tomorrow, when it travels to Ypsilanti for a 7:30 p.m. first serve at Eastern Michigan.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
