Ball State University
0-2
Murray State
2-0
Volleyball Falls Short in 3-2 Thriller versus Murray State
August 27, 2016 | Women's Volleyball
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team took the two-time defending Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) regular season champions Murray State to the brink Saturday morning, but fell just short in a 3-2 (25-16, 20-25, 22-25, 25-13, 15-10) loss in its second match of the Fort Wayne Invitational Sponsored by Hyatt Place.
The Cardinals (0-2) close the two-day tournament later this evening with a 7 p.m. first serve versus in-state rival Fort Wayne. Ball State enters the contest with a three-match winning streak over the Mastodons, with all three ending in five sets.
Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) paced the Ball State offense for the second straight match, blasting a season-high 15 kills. Dunn also turned in a strong effort at the net, as her career-high five block assists helped the Cardinals out-block the Racers (2-0) by an 11.0 to 6.0 margin.
After another slow start which saw Ball State drop the opening set 25-16, the Cardinals found themselves trailing 3-1 in the second set. However a service error and kills from redshirt junior Sabrina Mangapora (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) and Dunn helped the hosts on the scoreboard take their first lead of the match at 4-3. Ball State would go on to build a three-point cushion at 10-7, before the Racers surged back to tie the frame at 10.
With Murray State holding a slim 15-14 edge, sophomore Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) registered a pair of her season-best 11 kills to help Ball State regain the momentum at 17-15. Down the stretch, two of redshirt sophomore Avery Devoe's (Canton Mass./Canton) career-high five kills helped the Cardinals reach set point at 24-19. Two rallies later, Dunn evened the match at 1-1 with a thunderous blast to the middle of the court.
Devoe found the floor for the first point of the third set, but the Racers answered with six straight to pull ahead 6-1. The Cardinals were not deterred however, battling back to tie the score at 14. The teams then played to a 19-19 stalemate before one of Mangapora's three solo blocks gave Ball State a jolt. Ball State went on to score the next three points and win the frame 25-22 on a hard shot from Mangapora.
The fourth set was a back-and-forth battle early, with the teams playing to an 11-11 tie. Unfortunately, two-time defending OVC Player of the Year Scottie Ingram came to life with a solo block and three of her match-high 30 kills over the next five rallies to give the guests on the scoreboard a 15-12 lead. The Racers would pull away from there, winning the set 25-13.
The teams played to a 3-3 tie in the fifth set, but Murray State answered with three straight and took an 8-4 lead into the court switch. Trailing 10-6, the Cardinals were inspired by a spectacular dig by freshman libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) on a ball heading into the bleachers. The effort set up a Holland kill and brought Ball State within one at 10-9.
Sophomore opposite Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) followed with a blast to the hardwood floor of Arnie Ball Court to tie the score at 10. Unfortunately, the two-time defending OVC regular season champions scored the final five points to win the set 15-10 and the match 3-2.
Avila would lead the Ball State defense with 17 digs, while sophomore defensive specialist Lauren Schreiner (East Amherst, N.Y./Williamsville North) added 14. Freshman setter Amber Seaman (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf) finished the match with her second double-double of the season, collecting a career-high 12 digs and dishing out a career-best 39 assists.
Devoe added a career-best four block assists to her five kills, while Mangapora earned seven kills and five digs to go with her three solo blocks. Another bright spot for Ball State was the play of freshman defensive specialist Hannah Smith (Selma, Ind./Wapahani) who recorded a pair of aces and several long service runs, while earning a career-high nine digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
Ball State volleyball fans can purchase single match (Adult - $6 / Youth - $4) or season tickets (Adult - $39 / Youth - $25) by calling (888-BSU-TICKET) or visiting the Ball State's Stoops Buick/GMC Ticket Center inside Worthen Arena.
- BallStateSports.com -
