Thursday, November 8
Toledo, OH
7 p.m.
Ball State University
20-8 (11-4MAC)
3
at
0
University of Toledo
9-17 (4-11MAC)
1
2
3
F
Ball State
25
25
25
3
Toledo
15
20
20
0
Volleyball Sweeps Toledo to Claim MAC West Division Title Outright
November 08, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - The Ball State women's volleyball team closed the road portion of its 2018 regular season slate with a dominating 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-20) victory over Toledo Thursday night in Mid-American Conference action at Savage Arena.
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With the win, the Cardinals (20-8; 11-4 MAC) secured the MAC West Division title outright, locked up a top three seed and at least a first-round bye in next week's MAC Tournament and picked up the 26th 20-win season in program history.
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Like the first meeting this season, the Cardinals used a balanced offensive attack to sweep the Rockets (9-17; 4-11 MAC) for a second straight meeting. Senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn and junior middle Sydnee VanBeek tied for match-high honors with nine kills apiece, while five different Ball State players finished the contest with at least five kills.
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Redshirt senior outside attacker Jessica Lindsey was right behind with eight kills, while redshirt senior middle Meg Starling added six and freshman opposite Reece Kral collected five.
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Overall, junior setter Amber Seaman led the Cardinals offense to a .189 (40-19-111) attack percentage, handing out a match-high 30 assists. She also registered three kills, while serving up a pair of aces and collecting five digs.
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Junior libero Kate Avila collected a match-high 25 digs in the win, helping guide a defensive effort that limited the Toledo attack to a season-low .038 (24-20-104) attack percentage.
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At the net, Ball State's middles helped collect eight of the team's nine blocks as Starling and VanBeek both tallied one solo block and three block assists. Starling also led the Cardinals with a .357 (6-1-14) attack percentage, while VanBeek was a tick behind at .353 (9-3-17).
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Elise Wilcox led the Toledo offense with eight kills, while Maurissa Leonard was credited with a team-high 15 digs.
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Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"Our serving game was strong tonight which really helped our defense get into a good rhythm. Overall, I thought our defense played well tonight. That's been a huge area of emphasis for us this week in practice and it really showed tonight. We must continue to have that defensive presence throughout the rest of the season."
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"Having a balanced offense is huge for our success. It keeps our opponents honest on defense and they can't focus their block all on one person. The key for us is to pass the ball consistently so we are able to use all of our offensive players. We did a great job of that tonight."
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"Winning the MAC West Division and getting to 20 wins is a testament to how hard our team has worked over the past year. They are hungry and constantly striving to be their best and build upon the great tradition of Ball State volleyball. While I am very proud of them, we still have work to do, but this is certainly a good start."
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By The Numbers:
- With the win, the Ball State women's volleyball team became the first in the MAC to reach 20 wins this season … It's the 26th 20-win season in program history and the first under third-year head coach Kelli Miller… It's also Ball State's first 20-win season since 2013.
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- Ball State picked up its 15th three-set win of the season, marking the most sweeps in the rally scoring era (2001-present) for the Cardinals. Ball State went 17-2 in three-set matches in 2000, the final year of side-out scoring.
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- The Cardinals claimed their second-straight MAC West Division Championship and the ninth in program history … Current head coach Kelli Miller has had a hand in four of those titles, winning two as a head coach (2017 & 2018) and helping earn a pair as an assistant coach (2010 & 2013).Â
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- With her match-high 25 digs at Toledo, junior libero Kate Avila extend her streak of matches with double-digit digs to 57 and raised her career total to 86. She also upped her career digs total to 1,608 which ranks fifth in program history and is 45 shy of passing Sara Obras' (2002-05) career total of 1,652 for fourth on the all-time list.
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- With her solo block against the Rockets, redshirt senior middle Meg Starling raised her career total to 52 and moved into a tie for 19th in program history with three other players. She also raised her career blocks total to 221 which is 28 shy of moving into the top 20.
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Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the 2018 regular season Saturday, when it hosts Akron for Senior Night in Worthen Arena. Following the match, the Cardinals will honor its seven-member senior class.
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Follow The Cardinals:
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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With the win, the Cardinals (20-8; 11-4 MAC) secured the MAC West Division title outright, locked up a top three seed and at least a first-round bye in next week's MAC Tournament and picked up the 26th 20-win season in program history.
Â
Like the first meeting this season, the Cardinals used a balanced offensive attack to sweep the Rockets (9-17; 4-11 MAC) for a second straight meeting. Senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn and junior middle Sydnee VanBeek tied for match-high honors with nine kills apiece, while five different Ball State players finished the contest with at least five kills.
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Redshirt senior outside attacker Jessica Lindsey was right behind with eight kills, while redshirt senior middle Meg Starling added six and freshman opposite Reece Kral collected five.
Â
Overall, junior setter Amber Seaman led the Cardinals offense to a .189 (40-19-111) attack percentage, handing out a match-high 30 assists. She also registered three kills, while serving up a pair of aces and collecting five digs.
Â
Junior libero Kate Avila collected a match-high 25 digs in the win, helping guide a defensive effort that limited the Toledo attack to a season-low .038 (24-20-104) attack percentage.
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At the net, Ball State's middles helped collect eight of the team's nine blocks as Starling and VanBeek both tallied one solo block and three block assists. Starling also led the Cardinals with a .357 (6-1-14) attack percentage, while VanBeek was a tick behind at .353 (9-3-17).
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Elise Wilcox led the Toledo offense with eight kills, while Maurissa Leonard was credited with a team-high 15 digs.
Â
Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"Our serving game was strong tonight which really helped our defense get into a good rhythm. Overall, I thought our defense played well tonight. That's been a huge area of emphasis for us this week in practice and it really showed tonight. We must continue to have that defensive presence throughout the rest of the season."
Â
"Having a balanced offense is huge for our success. It keeps our opponents honest on defense and they can't focus their block all on one person. The key for us is to pass the ball consistently so we are able to use all of our offensive players. We did a great job of that tonight."
Â
"Winning the MAC West Division and getting to 20 wins is a testament to how hard our team has worked over the past year. They are hungry and constantly striving to be their best and build upon the great tradition of Ball State volleyball. While I am very proud of them, we still have work to do, but this is certainly a good start."
Â
By The Numbers:
- With the win, the Ball State women's volleyball team became the first in the MAC to reach 20 wins this season … It's the 26th 20-win season in program history and the first under third-year head coach Kelli Miller… It's also Ball State's first 20-win season since 2013.
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- Ball State picked up its 15th three-set win of the season, marking the most sweeps in the rally scoring era (2001-present) for the Cardinals. Ball State went 17-2 in three-set matches in 2000, the final year of side-out scoring.
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- The Cardinals claimed their second-straight MAC West Division Championship and the ninth in program history … Current head coach Kelli Miller has had a hand in four of those titles, winning two as a head coach (2017 & 2018) and helping earn a pair as an assistant coach (2010 & 2013).Â
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- With her match-high 25 digs at Toledo, junior libero Kate Avila extend her streak of matches with double-digit digs to 57 and raised her career total to 86. She also upped her career digs total to 1,608 which ranks fifth in program history and is 45 shy of passing Sara Obras' (2002-05) career total of 1,652 for fourth on the all-time list.
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- With her solo block against the Rockets, redshirt senior middle Meg Starling raised her career total to 52 and moved into a tie for 19th in program history with three other players. She also raised her career blocks total to 221 which is 28 shy of moving into the top 20.
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Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the 2018 regular season Saturday, when it hosts Akron for Senior Night in Worthen Arena. Following the match, the Cardinals will honor its seven-member senior class.
Â
Follow The Cardinals:
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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Team Stats
BSU
TOLEDO
Kills
40
24
Errors
19
20
Attempts
111
104
Hitting %
.189
.038
Points
54.0
34.0
Assists
36
22
Aces
5
2
Blocks
9.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
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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