Ball State University
7-8 (1-0MAC)
Toledo
3-11 (0-1MAC)
WVB Blasts Past Toledo To Open MAC Play
September 25, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - It would not be a Ball State versus Toledo women's volleyball match without a little excitement, and there was plenty of it Thursday night at Savage Arena, as the Cardinals rallied from two sets down to open Mid-American Conference play with a 3-2 (13-25, 18-25, 26-24, 25-11, 15-10) victory over the Rockets.
In a series which Ball State (7-8, 1-0 MAC) seemingly dominates, holding a 62-7 all-time advantage, Toledo (3-11, 0-1 MAC) has made it anything but easy with 13 of the last 28 meetings going five sets. Thursday's contest was no different as the Rockets blasted out to a 2-0 lead, only to see the Cardinals battle back to win a tight third set before pulling away in the final two to claim the match.
“It seems like we can't go to Toledo without playing a five-set match,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “The Rockets are always a very tough team for us to beat, and tonight was another example. We were completely outplayed the first two sets, but made some positive adjustments at halftime and came out and played three beautiful sets. What I appreciated about our team's play was how we maintained our poise and composure in our MAC opener, which is never an easy match to play, particularly on the road. I was especially pleased with the leadership of our senior setter Jenna Spadafora for keeping our team together through some very stressful moments.”
Leading the way for the Cardinals was senior middle Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), who not only paced the offense with 12 kills, but also logged a career-high nine total blocks to help lockdown the Toledo attack in the come-from-behind win. Of her nine total blocks, she earned a season-high two solo blocks and tied her career-high with seven block assists. Hopkins also finished the match hitting .333 (12-3-27) and earned a pair of digs.
After a subpar defensive effort led to a loss versus South Dakota to end the Boiler Box Challenge last Saturday, the Ball State defense came to play Thursday night and limited the Rockets' attack to a .109 (56-36-183) rate of success. In addition, the Cardinals piled up a season-best 19.0 total blocks, which is the team's highest blocking total in a match since collecting 20.0 in a 3-2 win at Central Michigan Nov. 10, 2012.
In addition to Hopkin's solid performance at the net, a trio of Ball State freshman also finished the match with career-high blocking numbers. Middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) led the group with seven total blocks (one solo and six assists), followed by right side Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) with six block assists and outside Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) with five block assists. In addition to their solid blocking numbers, Goodsel blasted eight kills and Dunn tallied seven.
Not only was the Ball State block on point Thursday, but senior libero Kati Vasalakis (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) turned in one of her best career matches with a season-high 31 digs. The effort marks just the second time in her career Vasalakis has earned 30-or-more digs, with the other coming in a career-best 33-dig performance at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 8, 2014).
Senior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll) added her team-leading sixth double-double of the season, handing out 37 assists and collecting 12 digs. She also blasted six kills, hit a team-best .429 (6-0-14) and earned three block assists.
Redshirt junior outside Mackenzie Kitchel (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove/Cincinnati) fell one kill shy of her first career double-double, adding nine kills and 11 digs, while senior outside Alex Fuelling (Decatur, Ind./Bellmont/Morehead State) tallied 10 digs in her first action since the Lipscomb Invitational.
Toledo, which limited Ball State to a .147 (49-24-170) attack percentage, was led offensively by Saige Thomas' 16 kills. Maurissa Leonard paced all players with 32 digs. The Rockets held a 92-to-82 edge in total digs, while out-acing the Cardinals 9-to-2. Ball State's big advantage came at the net with 19.0 total blocks, compared to 9.0 for Toledo.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes its two-match league-opening road swing Saturday, when it battles MAC East Division foe Akron in a 5 p.m. first serve at Rhodes Arena.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
