Saturday, October 12
Ypsilanti, MI
8:00 PM
Ball State University
10-8,4-2MAC
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at
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Eastern Michigan
7-11,2-4MAC
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F
Ball St.
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Eastern Mich.
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Volleyball Makes it a Ball State Sweep in Ypsilanti
October 12, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
YPSILANTI, Mich. - - It was a perfect day in Ypsilanti for Ball State Athletics as the women's volleyball team took a page from football's playbook, earning a 3-2 (20-25, 25-14, 24-26, 25-16, 15-8) come-from-behind victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday night at the Convocation Center.
In another tough Mid-American Conference showdown, the Cardinals (10-8; 4-2 MAC) rallied from down 1-0 and 2-1 to top the defending MAC Tournament Champion Eagles (7-11; 2-4 MAC) in a five-set thriller.
"After a slow start, we really bounced back well," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We finally started working hard in transition, and that allowed us to win some extended rallies. We needed everyone tonight, and I'm proud of the fight we showed."
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek paced the Ball State offense for the second consecutive night, smashing a season-high 19 kills and hitting .262 (19-8-42). She also turned in an impressive effort at the net, tying her career-high with nine total blocks. Overall, she had a hand in all but one of BSU's 10 blocks, collecting one solo block and eight block assists.
"Sydnee lead us well this weekend," Phillips said. "She was locked in and determined that we were not going to lose tonight. She was a huge presence at the net, both on offense and defense."
VanBeek was not the only Cardinals attacker to reach double-digit kills, however, as freshman opposite Allison Hamaker connected for 18 and freshman outside Natalie Risi was credited with 13. Hamaker, whose 18th kill ended the match, also hit .400 (18-2-40), collected seven digs and earned a pair of blocks. Risi added 18 digs for her third double-double of the season.
"Allison made the big kills and competed hard all night," Phillips added. "Natalie Risi was also solid all night on defense and serve receive. She really stepped up her offensive game in the back half of the match and came up with some big kills down the stretch when we needed them."
Overall, it was a solid night for the Ball State offense which finished the match with a .266 (71-24-177) attack percentage and scored 11 more kills than Eastern Michigan. Freshman Esther Grussing set the first three-and-a-half frames, handing out 43 assists to go along with five kills. Senior setter Amber Seaman guided the Cardinals the rest of the way, chipping in 15 assists and a service ace to end the fourth set.
Led by a match-high 20 digs from senior libero Kate Avila, the Cardinals also held an 84-to-75 edge in team digs. With her strong night in the backcourt, Avila raised her career digs total to 1,966, leaving her 34 shy of becoming just the third player in program history to reach 2,000 career digs.
Also finishing the contest with double-digit digs for Ball State were freshmen defensive specialists Chloe Rickenbach and Maggie Huber with 13 and 10, respectively. Led by its solid backcourt play, as well as a strong presence at the net, the Cardinals defense limited Eastern Michigan to a .164 (60-29-189) attack percentage.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes its current four-match road swing next weekend with a Friday match at Ohio (7 p.m.) and a Saturday contest at Kent State (5 p.m.)
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
In another tough Mid-American Conference showdown, the Cardinals (10-8; 4-2 MAC) rallied from down 1-0 and 2-1 to top the defending MAC Tournament Champion Eagles (7-11; 2-4 MAC) in a five-set thriller.
"After a slow start, we really bounced back well," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We finally started working hard in transition, and that allowed us to win some extended rallies. We needed everyone tonight, and I'm proud of the fight we showed."
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek paced the Ball State offense for the second consecutive night, smashing a season-high 19 kills and hitting .262 (19-8-42). She also turned in an impressive effort at the net, tying her career-high with nine total blocks. Overall, she had a hand in all but one of BSU's 10 blocks, collecting one solo block and eight block assists.
"Sydnee lead us well this weekend," Phillips said. "She was locked in and determined that we were not going to lose tonight. She was a huge presence at the net, both on offense and defense."
VanBeek was not the only Cardinals attacker to reach double-digit kills, however, as freshman opposite Allison Hamaker connected for 18 and freshman outside Natalie Risi was credited with 13. Hamaker, whose 18th kill ended the match, also hit .400 (18-2-40), collected seven digs and earned a pair of blocks. Risi added 18 digs for her third double-double of the season.
"Allison made the big kills and competed hard all night," Phillips added. "Natalie Risi was also solid all night on defense and serve receive. She really stepped up her offensive game in the back half of the match and came up with some big kills down the stretch when we needed them."
Overall, it was a solid night for the Ball State offense which finished the match with a .266 (71-24-177) attack percentage and scored 11 more kills than Eastern Michigan. Freshman Esther Grussing set the first three-and-a-half frames, handing out 43 assists to go along with five kills. Senior setter Amber Seaman guided the Cardinals the rest of the way, chipping in 15 assists and a service ace to end the fourth set.
Led by a match-high 20 digs from senior libero Kate Avila, the Cardinals also held an 84-to-75 edge in team digs. With her strong night in the backcourt, Avila raised her career digs total to 1,966, leaving her 34 shy of becoming just the third player in program history to reach 2,000 career digs.
Also finishing the contest with double-digit digs for Ball State were freshmen defensive specialists Chloe Rickenbach and Maggie Huber with 13 and 10, respectively. Led by its solid backcourt play, as well as a strong presence at the net, the Cardinals defense limited Eastern Michigan to a .164 (60-29-189) attack percentage.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes its current four-match road swing next weekend with a Friday match at Ohio (7 p.m.) and a Saturday contest at Kent State (5 p.m.)
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
Team Stats
BSU
EMU
Kills
71
60
Errors
24
29
Attempts
177
189
Hitting %
.266
.164
Points
84
71
Assists
61
54
Aces
3
1
Blocks
10
10
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
9
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's VolleyballMB
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