
Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services
Volleyball Drops Battle at MAC-Leading Central Michigan
October 11, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team started Friday's match at McGuirk Arena with a furious comeback to win the opening set against Mid-American Conference West Division leader Central Michigan.
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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (9-8; 3-2 MAC) could not slow down the hottest team in the league the rest of the night, as the Chippewas (15-2; 5-0 MAC) extended its current winning streak to 10 matches with a 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 26-24, 25-19) victory.
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Ball State trailed 10-3 early on the opening set, and after pulling within one on a couple of occasions, fell behind 22-16 late in the frame. However, the Cardinals were able to battle back and even the score at 23. Central Michigan would have the first swing at set point after a kill on the next rally, only to see Ball State senior middle Sydnee VanBeek register a block and kill to flip the script.
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Freshman outside attacker Natalie Mitchem followed with a huge kill of her own to close the set, at 26-24, and give Ball State a 1-0 advantage in the match. The league-leading Chippewas responded with a with a dominating second set, however, and went on to win a tight third and claim the fourth to take the match.
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VanBeek went on to finish the match with a team-high 13 kills and a .357 (13-3-28) attack percentage, while Mitchem and freshman opposite Allison Hamaker followed with eight kills each.
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On the other side of the net, Central Michigan had four players finish the night with double-digit kills and managed to out-hit Ball State .236 (67-24-182) to .121 (45-24-173).
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In the backcourt, Ball State senior libero Kate Avila paced four Cardinals in double figures with 12 digs. Her third dig of the night, which came early in the second set, vaulted her into third on BSU's career charts and she finished the contest with 1,946 career digs.
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Hamaker and freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber followed with 11 digs each, with the total being a career-high for Hamaker. Freshman outside Natalie Risi was the fourth Cardinal in double figures with 10. Overall, CMU held a 92-to-76 edge in team digs, with three players logging 20-or-more.
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At the net, Ball State freshman middle Marie Plitt registered three solo blocks to help the Cardinals out-block CMU 7.0-to-3.0 for the match. Ball State also held a 7-to-2 edge in aces.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team will face another tough test Saturday night, as it travels to Eastern Michigan for an 8 p.m. first serve against the defending MAC Tournament Championship.
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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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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (9-8; 3-2 MAC) could not slow down the hottest team in the league the rest of the night, as the Chippewas (15-2; 5-0 MAC) extended its current winning streak to 10 matches with a 3-1 (24-26, 25-14, 26-24, 25-19) victory.
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Ball State trailed 10-3 early on the opening set, and after pulling within one on a couple of occasions, fell behind 22-16 late in the frame. However, the Cardinals were able to battle back and even the score at 23. Central Michigan would have the first swing at set point after a kill on the next rally, only to see Ball State senior middle Sydnee VanBeek register a block and kill to flip the script.
Â
Freshman outside attacker Natalie Mitchem followed with a huge kill of her own to close the set, at 26-24, and give Ball State a 1-0 advantage in the match. The league-leading Chippewas responded with a with a dominating second set, however, and went on to win a tight third and claim the fourth to take the match.
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VanBeek went on to finish the match with a team-high 13 kills and a .357 (13-3-28) attack percentage, while Mitchem and freshman opposite Allison Hamaker followed with eight kills each.
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On the other side of the net, Central Michigan had four players finish the night with double-digit kills and managed to out-hit Ball State .236 (67-24-182) to .121 (45-24-173).
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In the backcourt, Ball State senior libero Kate Avila paced four Cardinals in double figures with 12 digs. Her third dig of the night, which came early in the second set, vaulted her into third on BSU's career charts and she finished the contest with 1,946 career digs.
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Hamaker and freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber followed with 11 digs each, with the total being a career-high for Hamaker. Freshman outside Natalie Risi was the fourth Cardinal in double figures with 10. Overall, CMU held a 92-to-76 edge in team digs, with three players logging 20-or-more.
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At the net, Ball State freshman middle Marie Plitt registered three solo blocks to help the Cardinals out-block CMU 7.0-to-3.0 for the match. Ball State also held a 7-to-2 edge in aces.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team will face another tough test Saturday night, as it travels to Eastern Michigan for an 8 p.m. first serve against the defending MAC Tournament Championship.
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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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Team Stats
BSU
CMU
Kills
45
67
Errors
24
24
Attempts
173
182
Hitting %
.121
.236
Points
59
72
Assists
41
59
Aces
7
2
Blocks
7
3
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Players Mentioned
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