Friday, November 16
Oxford, OH
7 p.m.
Ball State University
22-8
3
vs
2
Ohio University
13-18
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ohio
14
25
23
25
12
2
Ball State
25
23
25
22
15
3
Volleyball Tops Ohio in Five Set MAC Tournament Thriller
November 16, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Ohio - - In an instant classic at Millet Hall, the third-seeded Ball State women's volleyball team opened its 2018 Mid-American Conference Tournament run with a hard-fought 3-2 (25-14, 23-25, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12) victory over seventh-seed Ohio Friday night.
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It was another all-around solid offensive night for the Cardinals (22-8), who hit .265 as a team and had four players smash double-digit kills. With the win, Ball State advances to Saturday's 7 p.m. MAC Tournament semifinal match in which it will take on second seed and host Miami.
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"We stayed the course the entire night," head coach Kelli Miller said. "We did not get discouraged and maintained our high-level focus. We played each point as its own and just stayed in the moment no matter what Ohio threw at us. Luckily, we fought it out and came out on top. From start to finish, I felt like we were totally in the moment, played competitive and stayed consistent."Â
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Leading the charge for the Cardinals was senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn who tallied 19 kills and hit .314 (19-3-51) for the night. She also turned in a strong performance in the backcourt, earning 11 digs for her 12 double-double of the season.Â
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In the middle, redshirt senior Meg Starling smashed 12 kills and hit .357 (12-2-28), while junior Sydnee VanBeek added 10 kills and connected at a .350 (10-3-20) clip. Starling also picked up eight total blocks, while VanBeek recorded six to help the Cardinals out-block the Bobcats (13-18) by a 14.0 to 9.0 margin for the night.Â
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"We made a couple key blocks that really helped us," Miller said. "Our blocking presence overall was really consistent. While they had four attackers with double figure kills, our block made timely stops and the backline behind it did a nice job of picking up the off speed and tip shots."
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Rounding out Ball State's attackers in double figures was redshirt senior Jessica Lindsey with 11. She also earned five digs, three blocks and an ace in the victory.
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Junior setter Amber Seaman finished the night with 54 assists and added a team-high 15 digs to help secure her sixth double-double of the season and another match versus her sister Morgan Seaman who is a sophomore setter for Saturday's opponent Miami. Seaman also served up a pair of aces and collected three blocks in the win.
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Fittingly, the biggest plays of the night game late in the fifth set after Ohio turned a 13-10 Ball State lead into a one-point edge at 13-12. Miller brought her team to the bench at just the right time, helping the Cardinals regain the momentum with a huge block from Starling and freshman opposite Reece Kral out of a timeout.
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Junior libero Kate Avila followed with another big play, acing the Ohio defense to give the Cardinals a 15-12 win in the set and a 3-2 victory in the match. In addition to her match-winning ace, Avila added 14 digs to reach double-digits for the 88th time in her career and in her 59th consecutive match.
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"Tonight, was certainly a confidence booster, getting that first win under our belt," Miller concluded. "We also realized how fun it can be when you stay relaxed and just play. Even though it was a high-intensity, competitive match, we were relaxed and just enjoyed playing. That is something we the rest of the way out."
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For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
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- BallStateSports.com -
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It was another all-around solid offensive night for the Cardinals (22-8), who hit .265 as a team and had four players smash double-digit kills. With the win, Ball State advances to Saturday's 7 p.m. MAC Tournament semifinal match in which it will take on second seed and host Miami.
Â
"We stayed the course the entire night," head coach Kelli Miller said. "We did not get discouraged and maintained our high-level focus. We played each point as its own and just stayed in the moment no matter what Ohio threw at us. Luckily, we fought it out and came out on top. From start to finish, I felt like we were totally in the moment, played competitive and stayed consistent."Â
Â
Leading the charge for the Cardinals was senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn who tallied 19 kills and hit .314 (19-3-51) for the night. She also turned in a strong performance in the backcourt, earning 11 digs for her 12 double-double of the season.Â
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In the middle, redshirt senior Meg Starling smashed 12 kills and hit .357 (12-2-28), while junior Sydnee VanBeek added 10 kills and connected at a .350 (10-3-20) clip. Starling also picked up eight total blocks, while VanBeek recorded six to help the Cardinals out-block the Bobcats (13-18) by a 14.0 to 9.0 margin for the night.Â
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"We made a couple key blocks that really helped us," Miller said. "Our blocking presence overall was really consistent. While they had four attackers with double figure kills, our block made timely stops and the backline behind it did a nice job of picking up the off speed and tip shots."
Â
Rounding out Ball State's attackers in double figures was redshirt senior Jessica Lindsey with 11. She also earned five digs, three blocks and an ace in the victory.
Â
Junior setter Amber Seaman finished the night with 54 assists and added a team-high 15 digs to help secure her sixth double-double of the season and another match versus her sister Morgan Seaman who is a sophomore setter for Saturday's opponent Miami. Seaman also served up a pair of aces and collected three blocks in the win.
Â
Fittingly, the biggest plays of the night game late in the fifth set after Ohio turned a 13-10 Ball State lead into a one-point edge at 13-12. Miller brought her team to the bench at just the right time, helping the Cardinals regain the momentum with a huge block from Starling and freshman opposite Reece Kral out of a timeout.
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Junior libero Kate Avila followed with another big play, acing the Ohio defense to give the Cardinals a 15-12 win in the set and a 3-2 victory in the match. In addition to her match-winning ace, Avila added 14 digs to reach double-digits for the 88th time in her career and in her 59th consecutive match.
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"Tonight, was certainly a confidence booster, getting that first win under our belt," Miller concluded. "We also realized how fun it can be when you stay relaxed and just play. Even though it was a high-intensity, competitive match, we were relaxed and just enjoyed playing. That is something we the rest of the way out."
Â
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
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- BallStateSports.com -
Team Stats
OHIO
BSU
Kills
66
64
Errors
30
20
Attempts
178
166
Hitting %
.202
.265
Points
78.0
84.0
Assists
65
60
Aces
3
6
Blocks
9.0
14.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
8
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
RS / M
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
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