Ball State University Athletics
Friday, November 17
Oxford, OH
7 p.m.
Ball State University
19-11
2
vs
3
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Western Michigan University
17-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Michigan | 19 | 17 | 25 | 25 | 15 | 3 |
| Ball State | 25 | 25 | 23 | 23 | 13 | 2 |
Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services
Volleyball’s Season Ends with Five-Set Loss to Western Michigan
November 17, 2017 | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Ohio - - The Ball State women's volleyball team saw its 2017 season come to an end with a heartbreaking 3-2 (19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13) loss to Western Michigan Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 Mid-American Conference Tournament at Millett Hall.
After dominating the opening two sets, the third-seeded Cardinals (19-11) could not stop the sixth-seeded Broncos (17-12) from rallying from down 2-0 for the second consecutive night. In their opening round victory over seventh-seeded Central Michigan Thursday, WMU also trailed 2-0 before battling back to win the match and keep their season alive.
Overall, Ball State did a solid job on offense, with four players finishing the match with double-digit kills led by junior outside Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) at 17. The Cardinals also hit .246 (61-19-171) as a team, while limiting the WMU attack to a .191 (70-33-194) rate of success.
"We were in a really good offensive rhythm pretty much the entire match," head coach Kelli Miller said. "Unfortunately, the momentum started to shift in sets three and four when Western Michigan's offense caught fire and our blocking presence dropped off. Late in the fifth set, WMU was more on the attack which helped them rally past us. We had a couple plays at the very end which we could have taken swings on, but we went for off-speed shots and they gobbled them up and countered with full-speed attacks. At the end, they just play more aggressive than we did."
In addition to her 17 kills, Goodsel finished the night with 13 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. She also hit .341 (17-3-41) on the night, while tying a season-high with four total blocks.
In her final career match, senior right side Jessica Lindsey (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) blasted 10 kills, collected seven digs and added three block assists. Senior defensive specialist Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) also went out on a strong note, collecting nine digs and a perfect reception percentage. In addition, both players served up an ace.
"We talked a lot about our seniors after the match," Miller said. "If there is one word we could use to describe that group as a whole; it's selfless. They are players who struggled through a lot of injuries over their careers, and even though they did not see a lot of playing time, they were always doing the right things on and off the court. They always worked hard, never complained and they stuck the course. They set a really good example for what it is to be a great teammate. They played for the team and were willing to do anything and everything to help the team win."
Also tallying double-digit kills for the Cardinals were junior outside Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) and junior middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison). Dunn finished the night with 14 kills and a .257 (14-5-35) attack percentage, while Holland smashed 10 kills and hit .400 (10-2-20).
Sophomore middle Sydnee VanBeek (St. John, Ill./Illiana Christian) led all players at the net, registering a match-high seven total blocks while also collecting eight kills.
Sophomore libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Ball State defense with 23 digs, while also serving up an ace.
Sophomore setter Amber Seaman (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf) rounded out the Cardinals' top contributors with her 13th double-double of the season, handing out 47 assists and collecting 14 digs.
In addition to out-hitting Western Michigan, the Cardinals held a 12.0 to 10.0 lead in team blocks and an 80 to 74 advantage in team digs.
Rachel Bontrager led the Broncos attack with 19 kills, while Sydney LeMay added 17. Kathleen Reilly paced the WMU backcourt with match-high 34 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
After dominating the opening two sets, the third-seeded Cardinals (19-11) could not stop the sixth-seeded Broncos (17-12) from rallying from down 2-0 for the second consecutive night. In their opening round victory over seventh-seeded Central Michigan Thursday, WMU also trailed 2-0 before battling back to win the match and keep their season alive.
Overall, Ball State did a solid job on offense, with four players finishing the match with double-digit kills led by junior outside Brooklyn Goodsel (Corry, Pa./Corry Area) at 17. The Cardinals also hit .246 (61-19-171) as a team, while limiting the WMU attack to a .191 (70-33-194) rate of success.
"We were in a really good offensive rhythm pretty much the entire match," head coach Kelli Miller said. "Unfortunately, the momentum started to shift in sets three and four when Western Michigan's offense caught fire and our blocking presence dropped off. Late in the fifth set, WMU was more on the attack which helped them rally past us. We had a couple plays at the very end which we could have taken swings on, but we went for off-speed shots and they gobbled them up and countered with full-speed attacks. At the end, they just play more aggressive than we did."
In addition to her 17 kills, Goodsel finished the night with 13 digs for her 11th double-double of the season. She also hit .341 (17-3-41) on the night, while tying a season-high with four total blocks.
In her final career match, senior right side Jessica Lindsey (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) blasted 10 kills, collected seven digs and added three block assists. Senior defensive specialist Bailey Baumer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) also went out on a strong note, collecting nine digs and a perfect reception percentage. In addition, both players served up an ace.
"We talked a lot about our seniors after the match," Miller said. "If there is one word we could use to describe that group as a whole; it's selfless. They are players who struggled through a lot of injuries over their careers, and even though they did not see a lot of playing time, they were always doing the right things on and off the court. They always worked hard, never complained and they stuck the course. They set a really good example for what it is to be a great teammate. They played for the team and were willing to do anything and everything to help the team win."
Also tallying double-digit kills for the Cardinals were junior outside Ellie Dunn (Sugar Grove, Ill./Kaneland) and junior middle Emily Holland (Madison, Ind./Madison). Dunn finished the night with 14 kills and a .257 (14-5-35) attack percentage, while Holland smashed 10 kills and hit .400 (10-2-20).
Sophomore middle Sydnee VanBeek (St. John, Ill./Illiana Christian) led all players at the net, registering a match-high seven total blocks while also collecting eight kills.
Sophomore libero Kate Avila (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) led the Ball State defense with 23 digs, while also serving up an ace.
Sophomore setter Amber Seaman (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf) rounded out the Cardinals' top contributors with her 13th double-double of the season, handing out 47 assists and collecting 14 digs.
In addition to out-hitting Western Michigan, the Cardinals held a 12.0 to 10.0 lead in team blocks and an 80 to 74 advantage in team digs.
Rachel Bontrager led the Broncos attack with 19 kills, while Sydney LeMay added 17. Kathleen Reilly paced the WMU backcourt with match-high 34 digs.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
Team Stats
WMU
BSU
Kills
70
61
Errors
33
19
Attempts
194
171
Hitting %
.191
.246
Points
82.0
78.0
Assists
65
56
Aces
2
5
Blocks
10.0
12.0
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH/OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
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