Saturday, November 23
Bowling Green, Ohio
4:30 p.m.
Ball State University
19-11,11-5MAC
3
vs
1
No. 1 Miami
17-11,12-4MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
25
28
25
25
3
Miami (OH)
18
30
23
20
1
Photo by: Alex Streff
Championship Match Bound, Volleyball Upsets Top-Seeded Miami
November 23, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
MAC Volleyball Championship Match Info
No. 4 Ball State (19-11; 11-5 MAC) vs. No. 3 Bowling Green (19-11; 11-5 MAC)
Sunday, Nov. 24 - 4:30 p.m. (Bowling Green, Ohio / Stroh Center)
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateWVB) | Championship Central
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- This one was BIG.
Facing a team it had not beaten in the last four seasons, the fourth-seeded Ball State women's volleyball program moved one step closer to winning a seventh Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship title with a thrilling 3-1 (25-18, 28-30, 25-23, 25-20) semifinal-round victory over top-seeded Miami Saturday evening at the Stroh Center.
"Obviously we are excited," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said after the win. "Our program hasn't played in a championship match in a quite some time. Right now, we are as confident as we've been all year. We are just going to reset and continue to do what we've done all year; prepare hard, take care of our bodies and just go out and be ourselves. We are not going to do anything different, just enjoy the moment, go out and play hard and see what happens."
In running the league's longest active winning streak to eight matches, the Cardinals used another all-out team effort to defeat the four-time defending MAC Regular Season Champion RedHawks (17-11).
On offense, senior middle Sydnee VanBeek was one of three Cardinals to reach double figures with a team-high 17 kills. She also led Ball State with a .433 (17-4-30) attack percentage. The others in double figures were junior outside Kia Holder with 11 and freshman opposite Natalie Mitchem with 10.
At the net, freshman middle Marie Plitt led the charge with four total blocks, while adding nine kills and hitting .318 (9-2-22). Ball State used its blocking presence to help keep the Miami attack off balance, as the RedHawks hit just .189 (65-26-206) as a team.
From behind the service line, senior defensive specialist Anna Jensen served up two of the team's five aces and helped keep the service pressure on the designated home team the entire night.
"Our service pressure was really strong tonight," Phillips said. "That kept Miami just a little out of system which allowed our defense to make all kinds of hustle plays. Our defense was really, really good and came up with big play after big play."
And finally, looking at Ball State's setters, senior Amber Seaman collected her sixth double-double of the season with 25 assists and 15 digs. In addition, freshman Esther Grussing handed out 19 assists and collected 10 digs for her fourth double-double. The two combined to help the Cardinals hit .235 (63-19-187) against the league's second-best defense which was holding opponents to a .179 attack percentage entering the contest.
Overall, 13 different Cardinals saw action in the match, with each coming up with several big plays to lead Ball State to its first win over Miami since Oct. 23, 2015.
Avarie Powell led the Miami attack with 18 kills, while Taylor Daignault collected a team-high 25 digs.
"We have a lot of belief and trust in one another, all 18 players," Phillips said. "Right now, it's clicking. We understand what our strengths are, and are just going out there and being ourselves."
Up next, the championship match of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship which will pit the Cardinals against the winner of Saturday's second semifinal match between second-seeded Central Michigan and third-seeded Bowling Green. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
- BallStateSports.com -
No. 4 Ball State (19-11; 11-5 MAC) vs. No. 3 Bowling Green (19-11; 11-5 MAC)
Sunday, Nov. 24 - 4:30 p.m. (Bowling Green, Ohio / Stroh Center)
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateWVB) | Championship Central
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- This one was BIG.
Facing a team it had not beaten in the last four seasons, the fourth-seeded Ball State women's volleyball program moved one step closer to winning a seventh Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship title with a thrilling 3-1 (25-18, 28-30, 25-23, 25-20) semifinal-round victory over top-seeded Miami Saturday evening at the Stroh Center.
With the win, the Cardinals (19-11) advance to the championship match for the first time since the 2005 season and will be battling for its first automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship since winning its last tournament crown in 2002.?? Coach Kelli Miller Phillips on @BallStateWVB's semifinal performance.#MACtion pic.twitter.com/OaUTSrOV1Y
— #MACtion (@MACSports) November 24, 2019
"Obviously we are excited," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said after the win. "Our program hasn't played in a championship match in a quite some time. Right now, we are as confident as we've been all year. We are just going to reset and continue to do what we've done all year; prepare hard, take care of our bodies and just go out and be ourselves. We are not going to do anything different, just enjoy the moment, go out and play hard and see what happens."
In running the league's longest active winning streak to eight matches, the Cardinals used another all-out team effort to defeat the four-time defending MAC Regular Season Champion RedHawks (17-11).
On offense, senior middle Sydnee VanBeek was one of three Cardinals to reach double figures with a team-high 17 kills. She also led Ball State with a .433 (17-4-30) attack percentage. The others in double figures were junior outside Kia Holder with 11 and freshman opposite Natalie Mitchem with 10.
In the backcourt, senior libero Kate Avila led perhaps the program's best defensive effort of the season with a match-high 30 digs. Five Cardinals finished the match with double-digit digs, while Ball State held a 105-to-93 advantage in team digs. MAC Freshman of the Year Natalie Risi was second on the squad with 16 digs, was a perfect 29-for-29 in serve receive and tallied seven kills."We just walked onto the court like we had nothing to lose, so why not just play with all the heart that we have." - Sydnee VanBeek, @BallStateWVB MB#MACtion pic.twitter.com/N8yMJXrro4
— #MACtion (@MACSports) November 24, 2019
At the net, freshman middle Marie Plitt led the charge with four total blocks, while adding nine kills and hitting .318 (9-2-22). Ball State used its blocking presence to help keep the Miami attack off balance, as the RedHawks hit just .189 (65-26-206) as a team.
From behind the service line, senior defensive specialist Anna Jensen served up two of the team's five aces and helped keep the service pressure on the designated home team the entire night.
"Our service pressure was really strong tonight," Phillips said. "That kept Miami just a little out of system which allowed our defense to make all kinds of hustle plays. Our defense was really, really good and came up with big play after big play."
And finally, looking at Ball State's setters, senior Amber Seaman collected her sixth double-double of the season with 25 assists and 15 digs. In addition, freshman Esther Grussing handed out 19 assists and collected 10 digs for her fourth double-double. The two combined to help the Cardinals hit .235 (63-19-187) against the league's second-best defense which was holding opponents to a .179 attack percentage entering the contest.
Overall, 13 different Cardinals saw action in the match, with each coming up with several big plays to lead Ball State to its first win over Miami since Oct. 23, 2015.
Avarie Powell led the Miami attack with 18 kills, while Taylor Daignault collected a team-high 25 digs.
"We have a lot of belief and trust in one another, all 18 players," Phillips said. "Right now, it's clicking. We understand what our strengths are, and are just going out there and being ourselves."
Up next, the championship match of the 2019 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship which will pit the Cardinals against the winner of Saturday's second semifinal match between second-seeded Central Michigan and third-seeded Bowling Green. First serve is set for 4:30 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.ATTN: @BallStateSports @BallStateWVB has a message for you!#MACtion | #ChirpChirp pic.twitter.com/xZgjsiEhaz
— #MACtion (@MACSports) November 24, 2019
- BallStateSports.com -
Team Stats
BSU
Miami
Kills
63
65
Errors
19
26
Attempts
187
206
Hitting %
.235
.189
Points
75
75
Assists
55
58
Aces
5
2
Blocks
7
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH / DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
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