Tuesday, September 11
Muncie, IN
7 p.m.
Ball State University
6-4
3
vs
0
IUPUI
2-9
1
2
3
F
IUPUI
12
20
20
0
Ball State
25
25
25
3
Volleyball Soars Past IUPUI in Straight Sets
September 11, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Lead by another dominating effort at the net, the Ball State women's volleyball team closed its four-match homestand with a 3-0 (25-12, 25-20, 25-20) sweep of IUPUI Tuesday night in Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (6-4), who had lost the last three meetings to the Jaguars (2-9) entering the night, jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back in improving to 15-6 all-time versus IUPUI.
Leading the way for Ball State was another dominating effort at the net, as the Cardinals collected 11.0 total blocks to help limit the Jaguars to a .091 (38-27-121) attack percentage.
Redshirt senior Meg Starling, who has produced a pair of strong performances against Jaguars, led the charge at the net with seven total blocks (two solo and five assists). Senior outside Ellie Dunn was right behind with four block assists, while leading the Ball State attack with 10 kills.
Sophomore outside Kia Holder added a season-high nine kills, while freshman opposite Reece Kral collected eight. In the backcourt, junior libero Kate Avila secured a match-high 15 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Cathryn Starck collected 11.
Elizabeth Scott paced the IUPUI attack with 16 kills, while Rachel Hickey corralled 13 digs.
Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"Tonight's match was huge for us. We wanted to make sure we came out and really set the tone and played our style of volleyball. We played well all last weekend but couldn't get on the right end of the stick to win those matches. I knew if we played like that today we would have a good performance and we did."
"Kia showed us what we knew she was capable of all along. She is a great player, and that is the good and the bad of our team. We have a lot of great players and a lot of people that can start. Unfortunately, you can't start them all every night. I thought Kia made the most of her opportunity She made good, smart shots and I was happy with how she played."
"This was a big momentum match for us heading into what will be a highly competitive Tiger Invitational hosted by Towson. You want to keep getting better, and I felt from this weekend to tonight we did and that is all I can ask for."
Inside the Numbers:
- Ball State's 11 blocks in the win over IUPUI are the most for the Cardinals in a three-set match since collecting 11 in a 3-0 sweep of Akron on Nov. 6, 2016.
- Over the last four matches, redshirt senior middle Meg Starling had registered 26 total blocks over 15 sets for an impressive 1.73 blocks-per-set average to raise her season average to 1.20. The NCAA leader Reed Copeland from Wyoming is averaging 1.88 blocks per set this season.
- With her team-leading 15 digs Tuesday, junior libero Kate Avila has recorded double-digit digs in 39 consecutive matches and 68 times over her career. Her 1,286 career digs rank seventh in program history and she is 24 digs shy of passing Kelly Cochran's (2003-06) career total of 1,309 for sixth.
- With her second of 10 kills tonight, senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn broke the 800 career kills plateau. She enters this weekend's Tiger Invitational with 808 career kills which is one shy of breaking into the top 20 in program history.
Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team heads to Towson, Maryland, for the Tiger Invitational. The Cardinals will play UMBC (3:30 p.m.) Friday and the host Tigers (1 p.m.) and La Salle (4:30 p.m.) Saturday.
Follow The Cardinals:
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
The Cardinals (6-4), who had lost the last three meetings to the Jaguars (2-9) entering the night, jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the opening set and never looked back in improving to 15-6 all-time versus IUPUI.
Leading the way for Ball State was another dominating effort at the net, as the Cardinals collected 11.0 total blocks to help limit the Jaguars to a .091 (38-27-121) attack percentage.
Redshirt senior Meg Starling, who has produced a pair of strong performances against Jaguars, led the charge at the net with seven total blocks (two solo and five assists). Senior outside Ellie Dunn was right behind with four block assists, while leading the Ball State attack with 10 kills.
Sophomore outside Kia Holder added a season-high nine kills, while freshman opposite Reece Kral collected eight. In the backcourt, junior libero Kate Avila secured a match-high 15 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Cathryn Starck collected 11.
Elizabeth Scott paced the IUPUI attack with 16 kills, while Rachel Hickey corralled 13 digs.
Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"Tonight's match was huge for us. We wanted to make sure we came out and really set the tone and played our style of volleyball. We played well all last weekend but couldn't get on the right end of the stick to win those matches. I knew if we played like that today we would have a good performance and we did."
"Kia showed us what we knew she was capable of all along. She is a great player, and that is the good and the bad of our team. We have a lot of great players and a lot of people that can start. Unfortunately, you can't start them all every night. I thought Kia made the most of her opportunity She made good, smart shots and I was happy with how she played."
"This was a big momentum match for us heading into what will be a highly competitive Tiger Invitational hosted by Towson. You want to keep getting better, and I felt from this weekend to tonight we did and that is all I can ask for."
Inside the Numbers:
- Ball State's 11 blocks in the win over IUPUI are the most for the Cardinals in a three-set match since collecting 11 in a 3-0 sweep of Akron on Nov. 6, 2016.
- Over the last four matches, redshirt senior middle Meg Starling had registered 26 total blocks over 15 sets for an impressive 1.73 blocks-per-set average to raise her season average to 1.20. The NCAA leader Reed Copeland from Wyoming is averaging 1.88 blocks per set this season.
- With her team-leading 15 digs Tuesday, junior libero Kate Avila has recorded double-digit digs in 39 consecutive matches and 68 times over her career. Her 1,286 career digs rank seventh in program history and she is 24 digs shy of passing Kelly Cochran's (2003-06) career total of 1,309 for sixth.
- With her second of 10 kills tonight, senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn broke the 800 career kills plateau. She enters this weekend's Tiger Invitational with 808 career kills which is one shy of breaking into the top 20 in program history.
Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team heads to Towson, Maryland, for the Tiger Invitational. The Cardinals will play UMBC (3:30 p.m.) Friday and the host Tigers (1 p.m.) and La Salle (4:30 p.m.) Saturday.
Follow The Cardinals:
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
Team Stats
IUPUI
BSU
Kills
38
34
Errors
27
10
Attempts
121
106
Hitting %
.091
.226
Points
43.0
49.0
Assists
36
32
Aces
1
4
Blocks
4.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
4
Aces
2
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballRS / M
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
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