Ball State University Athletics
Saturday, September 29
Muncie, IN
7 p.m.
Ball State University
12-5 (3-1MAC)
3
vs
0
Central Michigan University
3-13 (0-4MAC)
1
2
3
F
Central Michigan
17
25
23
0
Ball State
25
27
25
3
Volleyball Dips Chippewas in Three Sets
September 29, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Led by a strong performance from junior setter Amber Seaman, the Ball State women's volleyball team picked up its second straight Mid-American Conference sweep with a 3-0 (25-17, 27-25, 25-23) victory over Central Michigan Saturday night in Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (12-5; 3-1 MAC) used a balanced offensive attack to take down the Chippewas (3-13; 0-4 MAC), with four different players recording at least seven kills in the win.
From the left side, senior Ellie Dunn smashed a match-high 13 kills, while freshman Reece Kral deposited 10 kills on the right side. In the middle, junior Sydnee VanBeek and senior Emily Holland combined for 15 kills, with eight coming off the arm of VanBeek and a season-high seven from Holland.
Seamen was behind it all, handing out a match-best 37 assists to run the Ball State offense at a .252 (49-16-131) clip. Seaman also served up the only two aces of the match and tied for team-high honors with 11 digs for her second double-double of the weekend and her third of the season.
Dunn also collected 11 digs in the match for her team-leading seventh double-double of the season, while junior libero Kate Avila and junior defensive specialist Anna Jensen added 10 apiece.
The Cardinals, who entered the night leading the league with a 2.35 blocks-per-set average, also did well at the net with eight total blocks to bump its season average up to 2.37. VanBeek and Holland recorded three total blocks apiece, while redshirt senior Meg Starling added two.
Overall, the Ball State defense limited the CMU attack to a .179 (46-21-140) hitting percentage with Maddie Whitefield tying for match-high honors with 13 kills. Chippewas' libero Megan Kern led all players with 20 digs.
Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"This week in practice, we put a ton of focus on our backcourt defense. I thought for both matches this weekend we had a different focus and different intensity in our back row. We put a lot of emphasis on being stopped and making the off speed plays. Last weekend, we were burned a lot with off speed shots. This weekend, I thought we did a much better job handling those plays which made a big difference for us."
"After a big win in the first set, I knew Central Michigan was going to come out fired up in the second. They were able to maintain a pretty big lead late, but we didn't get rattled when we were down. We were able to stay calm and still play our style of volleyball. I was really happy with our composer tonight."
"Overall, the MAC is unbelievably competitive this season. All we can worry about is one match at a time. Our focus is going to be getting better every day in practice and preparing as hard as we can for the next match. Then we will reset and do it again. This is a tough league, and if you look too far ahead, one will bite you."
Inside the Numbers:
- With 37 assists and 11 digs from junior setter Amber Seaman and 13 kills and 11 digs from senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn, the Cardinals had a pair of players record a double-double in the same match for the first time this season.
- After collecting a pair of aces in Saturday's win over CMU, Amber Seaman raised her career total to 82. Seaman, who leads the Cardinals with 19 aces this season, is looking to become just the 19th player in program history to reach 100 career aces.
- With her team-leading 13 kills against the Chippewas, Ellie Dunn raised her career kill total to 897 which ranks 15th on Ball State's career charts … Dunn needs just 20 more kills to pass Stacy Jordan's (1982-85) and Michele Winkle's (1982-84) career totals of 916 kills to move into 13th in program history.
- After being held without a dig in the opening set, junior libero Kate Avila rallied for 10 over the final two to extend her streak of matches with double-digit digs to 46 and raise her career total to 75. In addition, she became just the sixth player in program history to record over 1,400 career digs, raising her career total to 1,407 which ranks sixth in program history.
Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes its three-match homestand Thursday, when it welcomes Toledo to Worthen Arena for a 7 p.m. first serve.
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 (12-5; 3-1 MAC) used a balanced offensive attack to take down the Chippewas (3-13; 0-4 MAC), with four different players recording at least seven kills in the win.
From the left side, senior Ellie Dunn smashed a match-high 13 kills, while freshman Reece Kral deposited 10 kills on the right side. In the middle, junior Sydnee VanBeek and senior Emily Holland combined for 15 kills, with eight coming off the arm of VanBeek and a season-high seven from Holland.
Seamen was behind it all, handing out a match-best 37 assists to run the Ball State offense at a .252 (49-16-131) clip. Seaman also served up the only two aces of the match and tied for team-high honors with 11 digs for her second double-double of the weekend and her third of the season.
Dunn also collected 11 digs in the match for her team-leading seventh double-double of the season, while junior libero Kate Avila and junior defensive specialist Anna Jensen added 10 apiece.
The Cardinals, who entered the night leading the league with a 2.35 blocks-per-set average, also did well at the net with eight total blocks to bump its season average up to 2.37. VanBeek and Holland recorded three total blocks apiece, while redshirt senior Meg Starling added two.
Overall, the Ball State defense limited the CMU attack to a .179 (46-21-140) hitting percentage with Maddie Whitefield tying for match-high honors with 13 kills. Chippewas' libero Megan Kern led all players with 20 digs.
Head Coach Kelli Miller:
"This week in practice, we put a ton of focus on our backcourt defense. I thought for both matches this weekend we had a different focus and different intensity in our back row. We put a lot of emphasis on being stopped and making the off speed plays. Last weekend, we were burned a lot with off speed shots. This weekend, I thought we did a much better job handling those plays which made a big difference for us."
"After a big win in the first set, I knew Central Michigan was going to come out fired up in the second. They were able to maintain a pretty big lead late, but we didn't get rattled when we were down. We were able to stay calm and still play our style of volleyball. I was really happy with our composer tonight."
"Overall, the MAC is unbelievably competitive this season. All we can worry about is one match at a time. Our focus is going to be getting better every day in practice and preparing as hard as we can for the next match. Then we will reset and do it again. This is a tough league, and if you look too far ahead, one will bite you."
Inside the Numbers:
- With 37 assists and 11 digs from junior setter Amber Seaman and 13 kills and 11 digs from senior outside attacker Ellie Dunn, the Cardinals had a pair of players record a double-double in the same match for the first time this season.
- After collecting a pair of aces in Saturday's win over CMU, Amber Seaman raised her career total to 82. Seaman, who leads the Cardinals with 19 aces this season, is looking to become just the 19th player in program history to reach 100 career aces.
- With her team-leading 13 kills against the Chippewas, Ellie Dunn raised her career kill total to 897 which ranks 15th on Ball State's career charts … Dunn needs just 20 more kills to pass Stacy Jordan's (1982-85) and Michele Winkle's (1982-84) career totals of 916 kills to move into 13th in program history.
- After being held without a dig in the opening set, junior libero Kate Avila rallied for 10 over the final two to extend her streak of matches with double-digit digs to 46 and raise her career total to 75. In addition, she became just the sixth player in program history to record over 1,400 career digs, raising her career total to 1,407 which ranks sixth in program history.
Up Next:
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes its three-match homestand Thursday, when it welcomes Toledo to Worthen Arena for a 7 p.m. first serve.
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
CMU
BSU
Kills
46
49
Errors
21
16
Attempts
140
131
Hitting %
.179
.252
Points
53.0
59.0
Assists
45
46
Aces
0
2
Blocks
7.0
8.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH/DS
/ Women's VolleyballRS / M
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
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