Ball State University
4-4
Utah Valley
3-5
Holland Leads WVB Attack Against Utah Valley
September 11, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
PULLMAN, Wash. - - Despite a team-high nine kills from freshman middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison), the Ball State women's volleyball team opened play in the Washington State University Cougar Challenge with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-23) loss to Utah Valley Friday at Bohler Gym.
The Cardinals (4-4) continue play in the two-day event later this evening when it battles tournament host Washington State in a 10:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. PT match-up. Ball State closes the tournament Saturday versus Morehead State (7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT).
In addition to her nine kills, Holland finished the match with a career-best .284 (9-4-17) attack percentage and also notched her first career solo block.
Another positive for the Cardinals was the return of redshirt junior outside Mackenzie Kitchel (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) who missed the first seven match of the season while recovering from injury. In her 2015 debut, Kitchel slammed down eight kills and added four digs.
Redshirt senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) also had a strong match, adding eight kills and leading Ball State with four total blocks (one solo and three assists). Sophomore outside Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) paced all players and tied a career-high with 14 digs.
Overall, the Wolverines (3-5) were able to limit Ball State offense to a .156 (40-23-109) rate of success, while connecting for a .213 (39-16-108) mark of their own. UVU also held a 9.5-to-5.0 lead in team blocks, while the Cardinals managed a 45-to-40 edge in digs.
Lexi Thompson led the Utah Valley attack with 11 kills, while Lindsey Tagge collected a team-high 13 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
