Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
13-14, 7-6MAC
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
13-15, 9-4MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 18 | 25 | 25 | 9 | 2 |
| Western Michigan | 27 | 25 | 17 | 21 | 15 | 3 |
WVB Drops Five-Set Thriller At Western Michigan
November 07, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - - After rallying from two sets down to force a deciding fifth set, the Ball State women's volleyball team could not carry over the momentum into the final frame of a 3-2 (27-25, 25-17, 18-25, 21-25, 15-9) loss at Western Michigan's University Arena Friday night.
The Cardinals (13-14, 7-6 Mid-American Conference) entered the contest playing some of its best volleyball of the season in the pressure-packed fifth set, hitting .317 (68-17-161) as a team and winning five of its eight previous attempts. However, the Broncos (13-15, 9-4 MAC) surged out to a 7-1 lead in the fifth Friday night, and limited the Cardinals to a -.045 (3-4-22) rate of success overall in the set, to secure the regular season sweep of the Cardinals.
“In another titanic battle versus Western Michigan, we came up a few points short in an extremely hard-fought contest,” sixth-year head coach Steve Shondell said. “We have had a lot of success recently in five-set matches versus the Broncos. However, this year the law of averages caught up with us. Both teams played at a very high level tonight and gave the fans an exciting rivalry match to watch.”
One promising note for Ball State entering the 2015 MAC Tournament in Athens in two weeks, however, is the last two times a program has swept the regular season series between the two squads, the other has won the matchup in the league tournament.
The Cardinals, who entered the contest on a four-match winning streak, found themselves trailing 23-17 late in the opening set. However, redshirt junior outside attacker Mackenzie Kitchel (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) and senior middle Amanda Raker (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian/Butler) smashed back-to-back kills and then combined for a block to give Ball State the momentum. The Cardinals would go on to reach set point at 24-23 on a WMU ball handling error.
After a Broncos kill kept the hosts alive, a kill from senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) gave the Cardinals their second set point. Unfortunately, a lucky save on what appeared to be a frame-winning service ace led to another Western Michigan kill to once again keep the set alive. The Broncos followed with the next two points to escape with a 27-25 opening set victory.
“I thought the key point of tonight's match came in set one, when we appeared to serve an ace on our second set point,” Shondell said. “Somehow, WMU made an incredible one-arm save that we misplayed near our own end line. The Broncos proceeded to win the next two points to take the set in overtime, 27-25. We went on to control two of the next three sets, but got down early in set five and never recovered.”
In Friday's loss at Western Michigan, senior outside attacker Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont /Morehead State) turned in one of her best performances of the season, smashing a match-high 15 kills and adding a career-best 25 digs for her eighth double-double of the year. She also collected three block assists, while recording a .977 (41-for-42) reception percentage after facing 42 of WMU's 92 serves.
Raker also continued her strong play versus the Broncos, finishing the match with a career-high 13 kills and hitting .355 (13-2-31). The reigning MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week also tallied five block assists in the contest. Over the last three matches, Raker is hitting a team-best .549 (31-3-51) and is second on the squad with 31 kills, trailing only Fuelling's 32 tallies.
Kitchel and senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) also earned double-digit kill totals for Ball State, with 10 apiece. Hopkins added a team-best six block assists, while Kitchel recorded four. In the backcourt, senior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) collected a match-high 28 digs, raising her career total to 1,181. She needs just 24 more digs to pass Megan Hammons (1998-2001) career total of 1,204 for eighth on Ball State's career chart.
Western Michigan finished the match hitting .200 (63-26-185), while holding the Cardinals to a .150 (58-32-173) rate of success. Ball State held a 90-to-78 advantage in team digs, while WMU held a 14.0-to-12.0 edge in team blocks. Bailey Schnell led the Broncos with 14 kills, while Hailey Knecht recorded a team-high 27 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes its final MAC road trip of the 2015 season tomorrow, when it battles league-leading Northern Illinois in a 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT first serve at Victor E. Court in DeKalb., Ill. Earlier this season, the Cardinals scored a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) win over the Huskies in an Oct. 2 matchup in Worthen Arena.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
