Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
13-16 (7-8MAC)
Eastern Michigan
13-15 (5-10MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Michigan | 25 | 25 | 20 | 26 | 3 |
| Ball State | 21 | 12 | 25 | 24 | 1 |
Women?s Volleyball Suffers Friday Setback to Eastern Michigan
November 14, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Despite furious rallies in the third and fourth sets, the Ball State women's volleyball team saw its four-match home court winning streak come to an end Friday night, with a 3-1 (25-21, 25-12, 20-25, 26-24) loss to Mid-American Conference West Division rival Eastern Michigan inside Worthen Arena.
The Eagles (13-15 / 5-10 MAC) entered the match needing a pair of wins this weekend, as well as a pair of Central Michigan losses, to secure one of eight spots in next week's MAC Tournament hosted by Ohio. The Cardinals (13-16 / 7-8 MAC) have already earned a berth in the league tournament, and were battling for seeding position.
“Eastern Michigan entered tonight's match in a must-win situation, and they played like their life was on the line,” sixth-year Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “We had a great week of practice, but we were not as mentally ready to go as they were. It was certainly a match EMU deserved to win tonight, as they competed from start to finish, while we only competed half the time. I give our team credit for the way we battled back and put ourselves in a position to win. However, crucial errors on the final three points really cost us tonight.”
After dropping the first two sets 25-21 and 25-12, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 5-1 to open the third. However, a kill from senior outside attacker Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont /Morehead State) and some strong serving from senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) helped the Cardinals rally off the next seven points to pull ahead 8-5. Ball State would control the set from there, winning 25-20 on a kill from senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo).
With EMU in desperate need of a win to keep their tournament hopes alive, the Eagles rallied to pull ahead 15-9 in the fourth set. Eastern Michigan maintained a three-point edge at 18-15, only to see kills from sophomore right side Jessica Lindsey (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) and Hopkins help the hosts tie the score at 18. The teams played to a 23-23 stalemate from there, before a kill from freshman middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) gave Ball State a change to extend the match to five. Unfortunately, two Cardinals attack errors surrounding an EMU service ace allowed the guests to escape with a 26-24 fourth set victory and a 3-1 match win.
Eastern Michigan received more good news shortly after the match, as Toledo knocked of Central Michigan in five to keep EMU's tournament hopes alive.
Fuelling led the Cardinals with 13 kills and 19 digs for her ninth double-double of the season. Spadafora, one of the top offensive setters in the nation, also had a strong attacking night, adding seven kills and hitting .467 (7-0-15) while dishing out 32 assists.
In the backcourt, freshman defensive specialist Lauren Schreiner (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) tied a career-high with 15 digs and saw action as the team's libero in the final two sets. She also logged a .960 (23-for-24) reception percentage. Senior defensive specialist Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) added 10 digs to up her career total to 1,197, which leaves her eight shy of climbing into eighth on Ball State's all-time career digs list.
Three different EMU players finished the night with double-digit kills, led by Cassie Haut's match-high 16. Corynne Smith led the Eagles' backcourt with 18 digs. Overall, Eastern Michigan held a .220 (58-22-164) to .167 (48-25-138) attacking advantage, while Ball State held a 69 to 61 edge in team digs and a 9.0 to 7.0 lead in team blocks.
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes out the 2015 regular season tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 14), when it hosts Central Michigan in another 7 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena. Following the match, which will be broadcast live on ESPN3 by Ball State Sports Link, the Cardinals will honor its six-member senior class which includes; Fuelling, defensive specialist Marissa Hine (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville/Belmont), Hopkins, middle Amanda Raker (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian/Butler), Spadafora and Vasalakis.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
