Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
14-16 (8-8MAC)
Central Michigan
11-18 (6-10MAC)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 29 | 20 | 25 | 19 | 10 | 2 |
| Ball State | 27 | 25 | 20 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
Fuelling?s 20/20 Night Lifts WVB Past CMU on Senior Night
November 15, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - With one team battling to send its six-member senior class out with one final home victory and the other battling for a berth in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, the Ball State women's volleyball team ended the 2015 regular season with a thrilling 3-2 (27-29, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 15-10) win over Central Michigan Saturday night in Worthen Arena.
With the victory, the Cardinals (14-16 / 8-8 MAC) secured the No. 6 seed in next week's MAC Tournament and will battle No. 7 seed Buffalo in the 7:30 p.m. match Thursday at Ohio's Convocation Center. The Chippewas (11-18 / 6-10 MAC), on the other hand, saw their season come to a close as they were eliminated from tournament contention with the loss and an Eastern Michigan five-set victory at Toledo.
“Tonight's match was everything I thought it was going to be,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “It was a real war. Central Michigan was in a must-win situation and we tried to compete like it was our first match of the MAC Tournament. The difference between tonight and last night was we just competed harder. We really wanted to win it for our seniors and we came out a much better team tonight. CMU is a good, physical team and played well tonight. This is a great win for us, especially the way we had to rally back and win in five.”
Senior outside attacker Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont /Morehead State) made the most of her final match on the Worthen Arena hardwood floor, recording her second double-double of the weekend with a match-high 20 kills and 21 digs. With the 20/20 effort, Fuelling became the first player to record 20-or-more kills and 20-or-more digs in the same match for Ball State since Sarah Obras tallied 21 kills and 20 digs in a 3-2 victory over Houston Sept. 18, 2004.
Fuelling would go on to add three aces and three total blocks (two solo and one assist) to her stat line, while also hitting .320 (20-4-50).
Senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) would not disappoint on her senior night either, leading the Ball State offense to a .261 (69-21-184) attack percentage while tallying nine kills, nine digs and 47 assists to fall just shy of her second career triple-double. Spadafora was also credited with four total blocks, while hitting .412 (9-2-17). With her 16 kills on the weekend, Spadafora raised her season total to 160 which leads the nation among six rotation setters (who have played exclusively at the setter position) based on players listed as setters in the current NCAA statistical rankings.
In the backcourt, senior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led all players with 28 digs, raising her career total to 1,225 which moves her up one spot to eighth on Ball State's career digs list. Vasalakis also finished the match with a .967 (29-for-30) reception percentage.
Also playing in their final home match for Ball State were senior middle Amanda Raker (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian/Butler), senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) and senior defensive specialist Marissa Hine (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville/Belmont). Raker finished the contest with eight kills, a .412 (8-2-30) attack percentage and five total blocks. Hopkins logged four kills and a service ace, while Hine added two digs and one ace.
“Our seniors have been so fun to coach,” Shondell said about the 2015 senior class. “They are really great kids, good student-athletes and very coachable. They have been through a lot of good times, as well as some rough times, but have stayed the course and are playing their best volleyball at the end of their careers. That is all you can ask for as a coach.”
Aside from the seniors, redshirt junior Mackenzie Kitchel (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) provided several key moments for the Cardinals in Saturday's victory, especially in the fifth frame. After a pair of kills from freshman Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) put Ball State ahead 2-1, Kitchel blasted two kills of her own surrounding a solo block to give the hosts a 5-1 edge and all the momentum in the set.
The Chippewas, who were battling to extend their season, would draw within one, at 11-10, and force Ball State to call its final timeout. However, a kill from Fuelling and a CMU attack error helped BSU reclaim the momentum. Spadafora and Holland would then combine for a block to give the Cardinals match point, while Kitchel ended the contest with her career-best 18th kill of the match.
In addition to her career-high 18 kills, Kitchel tied two other career-highs with five total blocks and three solo blocks. Holland would also prove to be a difference maker for the Cardinals over the final three sets, blasting seven kills and hitting .462 (7-1-13). She also collected a pair of block assists.
In addition to the strong back court play from Vasalakis, freshman defensive specialist Lauren Schreiner (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) added a career-best 16 digs, while posting a perfect reception percentage in 17 attempts.
The Central Michigan offense, which was led by Jordan Bueter's 18 kills, finished the contest with a .217 (65-25-184) attack percentage. Jamison Wolffis collected a team-best 78 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
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