Volleyball’s Winning Streak Snapped by Northern Illinois

Saturday, September 22

DeKalb, IL

8 p.m.

Ball State University

10-5, 1-1MAC

Northern Illinois University

4-13, 2-0MAC

Ball State

Northern Illinois

Volleyball’s Winning Streak Snapped by Northern Illinois

September 22, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score MATCH15 NIU

DEKALB, Ill. - - Playing in what is considered one of the toughest road venues in the Mid-American Conference, the Ball State women's volleyball team saw its five-match winning streak come to an end Saturday night with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21) loss to Northern Illinois at Victor E. Court.

After dropping the opening two sets, the Cardinals (10-5; 1-1 MAC) looked poised to earn a second come-from-behind victory on the weekend by winning the third frame 25-22.

Unfortunately, the Huskies (4-13; 2-0 MAC) fought off several Ball State runs in the fourth to pick up their second MAC home win in as many days. The Cardinals trailed 17-10 late in the fourth but managed to battle back within one at 20-19. NIU scored the next four points, and five of the final seven, to end the Cardinals' hope of forcing a fifth frame.

Senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn led the Ball State offense with 15 kills for her 12th match in double figures this season. It's also the most kills she has scored in a match versus the Huskies over her career, with the previous best being 13 in both meetings last season.

Sophomore outside attacker Kia Holder also had a strong night for the Cardinals, blasting a season-high 12 kills and hitting .333 (12-3-27). It's just the third time in her career Holder has tallied double-digit kills in a match.

Rounding out Ball State's top attackers was junior middle Sydnee VanBeek with 11 markers. It's the eighth time in 15 matches VanBeek has tallied double-figure kills this season, raising her career total to 18. VanBeek also had another strong night at the net with a match-high seven total blocks (one solo and six assists).

Overall, the Ball State defense was able to out-block the Huskies 14.0 to 10.0, with redshirt senior middle Meg Starling adding six block assists to go along with her six kills and .667 (6-0-9) attack percentage.

In the backcourt, junior libero Kate Avila was credited with a match-high 23 digs. Junior defensive specialist Anna Jensen joined her in double figures with 11, to go along with two of Ball State's three service aces.

Meg Wolowicz led the Northern Illinois offense with 17 kills, while Miranda Karlen collected a team-high 22 digs. The Huskies finished the match with a .194 to .190 edge in attacking, a 10 to 3 lead in service aces and a 68 to 65 advantage in digs.

Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"We have to keep getting better. I felt like we were a step behind mentally tonight and Northern Illinois took advantage. We also have to be lower error, which is something we will continue to work on offensively."

"Offensively, Kia played well tonight. She's getting more and more confidence every night out."

Inside the Numbers:
- With her 43 assists on the night, junior setter Amber Seaman raised her career total to 3,633 which is the 10th-highest total in program history. She needs just 17 more assists to pass both Janell Lorenz (1984-87) and Jacqui Seidel (2010-13) for eighth on BSU's all-time list, while 32 more will move her past Lorie Vandenberg (1989-92) and into seventh.

- With her 15 kills Saturday at NIU, senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn raised her career kill total to 871, leaving her five kills shy of passing Sharon Strayer (1984-87) for 15th on Ball State's career charts. In addition, her 58 attack attempts raised her career total to 2,545, which is just 25 shy of breaking into the top 10 in program history.

- With her 23 digs versus Northern Illinois, junior libero Kate Avila has recorded double-digit digs in 44 consecutive matches and 73 times over her career. Her 1,386 career digs rank sixth in program history, while her 4.60 career digs-per-set average is fourth.

Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to Worthen Arena next weekend for a pair of MAC West Division showdowns. The Cardinals host Eastern Michigan Friday and Central Michigan Saturday, with both matches scheduled for 7 p.m. first serves.

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 -