Ball State University Athletics
Saturday, November 11
Kalamazoo, MI
7 p.m.
Ball State University
19-10, 11-5MAC
3
at
2
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Western Michigan University
15-12, 8-8MAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 22 | 25 | 16 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Western Michigan | 25 | 21 | 25 | 21 | 10 | 2 |
Photo by: Ashley Huss - WMU
Volleyball Ends Regular Season with Five-Set Win at WMU
November 11, 2017 | Women's Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - - Trailing 5-2 in the fifth, the Ball State women's volleyball team rallied off four straight points and never looked back in a 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 16-25, 25-21, 15-10) victory at Western Michigan Saturday night to conclude the 2017 regular season.
With the win, the Cardinals (19-10; 11-5 Mid-American Conference) secured the third seed in next weekend's MAC Tournament and will play in the 7 p.m. quarterfinal match Friday at Miami University's Millett Hall versus either the sixth-seeded Broncos (15-12; 8-8 MAC) or seventh-seeded Central Michigan.
"We turned in another great team effort tonight," head coach Kelli Miller said. "The strength of our team is our versatility and depth. We used that once again tonight to find a way to win against a tough Western Michigan squad."
In another crucial MAC West Division showdown, the team's depth was once again highlighted by the play of freshman setter Ali Finch (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac). In just her second career match, Finch logged her second double-double with career highs of 47 assists and 12 digs. She also served up her first career ace to give Ball State an 18-12 lead in the second set, while adding a kill and a pair of block assists.
Junior outside Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) continued to have the hot hand for the Cardinals offense, leading the team for the fifth straight match with 14 kills. During the run, Dunn has smashed 73 kills for the Cardinals which are 24 more than the next closest player, junior middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) at 49.
Dunn also turned in another strong performance at the next Saturday versus the Broncos, securing a team-best five total blocks, including all three of Ball State solo stuffs. She also collected six digs.
Junior right side Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) picked up her second double-double of the weekend, and 10th of the season, with 10 kills and 11 digs. She also opened the second set with an ace, and went on to serve the first six points to give the Cardinals some much-needed momentum after the opening set loss.
In the middle, Holland and sophomore Sydnee VanBeek (St. John, Ind./Illiana Christian) each finished the night with eight kills, while redshirt junior Meg Starling (Hopkinsville, Ky./University Heights) added six. Holland would tie Dunn for team-high honors with five total blocks, while VanBeek scored three and Starling added one.
Sophomore libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Ball State defense with 24 digs, while senior defensive specialist Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) added 11 to round out four Cardinals with double figure digs.
Overall, the Cardinals finished the night with a .154 (53-27-169) attack percentage, but stepped it up when it mattered the most, hitting .258 (21-6-58) over the final two frames. WMU finished the match with a .201 (63-28-174) attack percentage, but could only muster a .087 (5-3-23) effort in the fifth. The Broncos also did manage to out-dig (79 to 76) and out-block (12.0 to 11.0) the Cardinals.
Rachel Bontrager led four Western Michigan players in double figures with a match-high 17 kills, while Kathleen Reilly collected a match-best 25 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
With the win, the Cardinals (19-10; 11-5 Mid-American Conference) secured the third seed in next weekend's MAC Tournament and will play in the 7 p.m. quarterfinal match Friday at Miami University's Millett Hall versus either the sixth-seeded Broncos (15-12; 8-8 MAC) or seventh-seeded Central Michigan.
"We turned in another great team effort tonight," head coach Kelli Miller said. "The strength of our team is our versatility and depth. We used that once again tonight to find a way to win against a tough Western Michigan squad."
In another crucial MAC West Division showdown, the team's depth was once again highlighted by the play of freshman setter Ali Finch (Cadillac, Mich./Cadillac). In just her second career match, Finch logged her second double-double with career highs of 47 assists and 12 digs. She also served up her first career ace to give Ball State an 18-12 lead in the second set, while adding a kill and a pair of block assists.
Junior outside Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) continued to have the hot hand for the Cardinals offense, leading the team for the fifth straight match with 14 kills. During the run, Dunn has smashed 73 kills for the Cardinals which are 24 more than the next closest player, junior middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison) at 49.
Dunn also turned in another strong performance at the next Saturday versus the Broncos, securing a team-best five total blocks, including all three of Ball State solo stuffs. She also collected six digs.
Junior right side Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) picked up her second double-double of the weekend, and 10th of the season, with 10 kills and 11 digs. She also opened the second set with an ace, and went on to serve the first six points to give the Cardinals some much-needed momentum after the opening set loss.
In the middle, Holland and sophomore Sydnee VanBeek (St. John, Ind./Illiana Christian) each finished the night with eight kills, while redshirt junior Meg Starling (Hopkinsville, Ky./University Heights) added six. Holland would tie Dunn for team-high honors with five total blocks, while VanBeek scored three and Starling added one.
Sophomore libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Ball State defense with 24 digs, while senior defensive specialist Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) added 11 to round out four Cardinals with double figure digs.
Overall, the Cardinals finished the night with a .154 (53-27-169) attack percentage, but stepped it up when it mattered the most, hitting .258 (21-6-58) over the final two frames. WMU finished the match with a .201 (63-28-174) attack percentage, but could only muster a .087 (5-3-23) effort in the fifth. The Broncos also did manage to out-dig (79 to 76) and out-block (12.0 to 11.0) the Cardinals.
Rachel Bontrager led four Western Michigan players in double figures with a match-high 17 kills, while Kathleen Reilly collected a match-best 25 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
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Team Stats
BSU
WMU
Kills
53
63
Errors
27
28
Attempts
169
174
Hitting %
.154
.201
Points
70.0
82.0
Assists
50
56
Aces
6
7
Blocks
11.0
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
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