Ball State University
6-5
IPFW
2-10
WVB Wins Another I-69 Rivalry Thriller Over IPFW
September 17, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - In another wild and thrilling chapter of the I-69 rivalry, the Ball State women's volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-2 (25-20, 27-25, 11-25, 25-27, 15-9) victory over IPFW Wednesday night inside Worthen Arena.
It was a complete team effort which lifted the Cardinals (6-5) to their second straight five-set victory over the Mastodons (2-10), as six Ball State players smashed eight-or-more kills, while five collected double-digit digs.
“I was really proud of our team in the fifth game,” sixth-year Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “Everyone stepped up and helped push us to victory. Overall, we turned in one of the best team efforts we have had all year. We had a great balance on offense, with six players tallying eight-or-more kills.”
In a match with numerous outstanding performances, it was the effort of freshman right side Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) which stood out, as she made major contributions on both offense and defense with career-highs of 12 kills and 13 digs. She also turned in a pair of aces and put together a pivotal service run late in the fifth set, extending the Cardinals' lead from 8-7 to 11-7.
Playing against her hometown team, senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) turned in a solid effort of her own, guiding the Ball State offense to a .195 (69-31-195) rate of success, while dishing out 57 assists, collecting 14 digs, smashing eight kills and logging a match-best seven total blocks (one solo and six assists). Overall, it was her fourth double-double of the season and the 16th of her career.
After the Cardinals won the opening two sets, the Mastodons showed they were in it for the long haul by winning the third set 25-11. Ball State responded by jumping out to an 8-3 lead in the fourth frame, only to see IPFW battle back to take an 11-9 lead. The Cardinals tied the score at 12-12, and from there, the teams battled to a 23-23 stalemate.
IPFW had the first chance to win the set after a kill from Sarah Heckman, but one of redshirt junior outside hitter Mackenzie Kitchel's (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) team-high 13 markers evened the score at 24. Following a Mastodons' attack error, the Cardinals had one chance to close the match in four, but a kill, block and service ace from IPFW forced a deciding fifth set.
The fifth set was tight early, but freshman outside hitter Ellie Dunn's (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) career-high 12th kill of the match gave Ball State a lead it would not relinquish. Following Goodsel's strong service run, an IPFW service error and kills from Kitchel, Spadafora and senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo) helped the Cardinals walk away with a 15-9 fifth-set victory and a 3-2 match win.
Leading the charge on the defensive front for the Cardinals were senior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) and sophomore defensive specialist Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) who tied for team-high honors with 18 digs. With her 18 digs, Vasalakis raised her career total to 896 which ranks 20th on Ball State's career charts. Baumer's 18 digs were a career-high
Overall, the Cardinals held the lead in nearly every statistical category, including attack percentage (.195-to-.144), digs (94-to-76), kills (69-to-51) and total blocks (10.0-to-7.0). IPFW's Somer Johnson led all players with 20 kills, while IPFW setter Madison Jaqua earned a match-best 21 digs, while handing out 38 assists.
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the non-conference portion of its 2015 schedule this weekend at the Purdue Boiler Box Challenge. The Cardinals open the two-day event Friday at noon versus Notre Dame, before battling 22nd-ranked Purdue at 7:30 p.m. Leading the host Boilermakers to the court will be former Ball State men's volleyball letterwinners and Steve Shondell's brothers Dave Shondell (head coach) and John Shondell (assistant coach).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
