Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
1-0
Albany
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albany | 25 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 1 |
| Ball State | 22 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Volleyball Opens Season With 3-1 Win Over Albany
August 28, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Led by a strong offensive showing from its outside hitters, the Ball State women's volleyball team opened the 2015 campaign with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-20, 25-19) victory over Albany Friday afternoon in its first match of the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge inside Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (1-0) improved to 6-0 in season-opening matches under sixth-year head coach Steve Shondell by pounding out 61 kills while limiting the Great Danes (0-1) to just 37. Ball State's left side tandem of senior Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont/Morehead State) and sophomore Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) accounted for 33 of the markers with a match-high 18 from Fuelling and a career-best 15 from Baumer.
“I was pleased with the way we responded to the first set loss,” Shondell said. “In sets two, three and four, I felt like we established our offense on the outside. Bailey Baumer came to life and Alex Fuelling was really good. I also felt like our veteran players stepped up late in each of the final three sets. At the end of those games, we rose to a higher level and were able to put away an Albany team which played well against us. It was a great way to start the season, and hopefully, we can reenergize tonight and play strong against a good Belmont team.”
In addition to their strong offensive efforts, both Fuelling and Baumer finished the match with kill/dig double-doubles. Fuelling tallied 14 digs to go along with her 18 kills for her 22nd career double-double, while Baumer notched her first career double-double with a career-high 12 digs added to her career-best 15 kills.
Senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) guided the Ball State offense to a .224 (61-27-152) rate of success by dishing out 47 assists and adding seven kills of her own. Senior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Cardinals defense with 17 digs, while senior defensive specialist Marissa Hine (Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville/Belmont) added a Ball State career-high 13 digs to round out four Ball State players with double-figure digs.
In her Ball State debut, freshman right side Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) entered the match at the start of the second set and accounted for eight kills and four digs. From the middle, seniors Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) and Amanda Raker (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian/Butler) added eight and five kills, respectively. Hopkins also led the Cardinals with four total blocks, while Raker was second on the squad with two.
In addition to limiting the Albany attack to 37 kills over the four sets, the Ball State defense held the Great Danes to a .117 (37-21-137) attack percentage and posted a 71-to-50 advantage in digs. Laini Leindecker paved the way for Albany on both offense and defense with nine kills and a match-high 18 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team continues play in the 2015 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge later tonight with a 7:30 p.m. match versus Belmont. In the tournament's opening match Friday, New Mexico scored a 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-18) win over the Bruins. Albany and the Lobos will precede tonight's Ball State contest with a 5 p.m. first serve.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
