Saturday, September 14
Highland Heights, KY
10:00 AM
Ball State University
4-4
2
vs
3
University of Cincinnati
6-2
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ball State
25
26
22
17
11
2
Cincinnati
23
24
25
25
15
3
Photo by: Brad Caudill - Ball State Athletics
Despite Early Leads, Volleyball Suffers Pair of Saturday Losses
September 14, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. - - Despite jumping out to a pair of early leads, the Ball State women's volleyball team closed play in the NKU Invitational with a pair of tough losses Saturday at Regents Hall.
Â
"We can take a lot of positive things from this weekend," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We competed hard and never stopped battling. Our team is gaining confidence each time we compete and are continuing to get better and better each weekend."
Â
In the opener, the Cardinals (4-5) took the first two sets off a talented Cincinnati squad which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Unfortunately, the Bearcats (6-2) took a page for Ball State's Friday night playbook and rallied to win the match 3-2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-17, 15-11).
Â
In the afternoon match, Ball State took the first set from a Notre Dame squad which handed nationally-ranked Purdue its first loss of the season last week. However, the Fighting Irish (6-2) would battle back and win the match 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-22, 26-24).
Â
Leading the Ball State offense in both matches, freshman outside Natalie Mitchem. A native of Bolingbrook, Illinois, Mitchem smashed 18 kills and hit an impressive .350 (18-4-30) against Cincinnati. She followed with 15 kills and a .160 (15-7-50) rate of success in the nightcap versus Notre Dame. She also collected eight total blocks on the day, while earning six digs.
Â
"Natalie Mitchem took some big swings and was a physical presence today," Phillips said. "She is getting more comfortable on the left side and really starting to understand that position."
Â
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek turned in another solid day as well, registering five blocks in each match. She also finished the day with 15 total kills. For her play over the two-day event, VanBeek was named to the NKU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Â
Another big contributor on offense for the Cardinals was freshman opposite Allison Hamaker who scored 15 kills in the opener and eight in the nightcap. She also hit .343 (15-3-35) against the Bearcats.
Â
Defensively, senior libero Kate Avila corralled a team-high 35 digs on the day, including a match-high 21 versus the Fighting Irish. Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber also collected double-digit digs in both contests, including a team-high 15 versus Cincinnati. In addition, freshman defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach was credited with a career-high 18 digs versus Notre Dame.
Â
Freshman Esther Grussing ran the Ball State offense to a .261 (62-20-161) rate of success against Cincinnati, handing out 50 assists in the match. She was smashed five kills in each contest, while earning 14 total digs.
Â
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge with a 7 p.m. first serve versus Austin Peay. The Cardinals will also host Wright State and Missouri State in the four-team event, with match times of noon and 7 p.m., respectively, Saturday.
Â
"It will be great to get back in front of the home crowd this coming weekend," Phillips added. "We have improved a ton since opening weekend and I really think our fans will see how hard we've been working. It's going to be a very high-level tournament, so lots of great volleyball for the fans."
Â
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
Â
Â
"We can take a lot of positive things from this weekend," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We competed hard and never stopped battling. Our team is gaining confidence each time we compete and are continuing to get better and better each weekend."
Â
In the opener, the Cardinals (4-5) took the first two sets off a talented Cincinnati squad which advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. Unfortunately, the Bearcats (6-2) took a page for Ball State's Friday night playbook and rallied to win the match 3-2 (23-25, 24-26, 25-22, 25-17, 15-11).
Â
In the afternoon match, Ball State took the first set from a Notre Dame squad which handed nationally-ranked Purdue its first loss of the season last week. However, the Fighting Irish (6-2) would battle back and win the match 3-1 (19-25, 25-16, 25-22, 26-24).
Â
Leading the Ball State offense in both matches, freshman outside Natalie Mitchem. A native of Bolingbrook, Illinois, Mitchem smashed 18 kills and hit an impressive .350 (18-4-30) against Cincinnati. She followed with 15 kills and a .160 (15-7-50) rate of success in the nightcap versus Notre Dame. She also collected eight total blocks on the day, while earning six digs.
Â
"Natalie Mitchem took some big swings and was a physical presence today," Phillips said. "She is getting more comfortable on the left side and really starting to understand that position."
Â
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek turned in another solid day as well, registering five blocks in each match. She also finished the day with 15 total kills. For her play over the two-day event, VanBeek was named to the NKU Invitational All-Tournament Team.
Â
Another big contributor on offense for the Cardinals was freshman opposite Allison Hamaker who scored 15 kills in the opener and eight in the nightcap. She also hit .343 (15-3-35) against the Bearcats.
Â
Defensively, senior libero Kate Avila corralled a team-high 35 digs on the day, including a match-high 21 versus the Fighting Irish. Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber also collected double-digit digs in both contests, including a team-high 15 versus Cincinnati. In addition, freshman defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach was credited with a career-high 18 digs versus Notre Dame.
Â
Freshman Esther Grussing ran the Ball State offense to a .261 (62-20-161) rate of success against Cincinnati, handing out 50 assists in the match. She was smashed five kills in each contest, while earning 14 total digs.
Â
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge with a 7 p.m. first serve versus Austin Peay. The Cardinals will also host Wright State and Missouri State in the four-team event, with match times of noon and 7 p.m., respectively, Saturday.
Â
"It will be great to get back in front of the home crowd this coming weekend," Phillips added. "We have improved a ton since opening weekend and I really think our fans will see how hard we've been working. It's going to be a very high-level tournament, so lots of great volleyball for the fans."
Â
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
Â
Team Stats
BSU
CIN
Kills
62
80
Errors
20
30
Attempts
161
185
Hitting %
.261
.270
Points
73.0
92.0
Assists
58
75
Aces
0
5
Blocks
11.0
7.0
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
18
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballWomen's Volleyball // 2025 First Practice Recap
Tuesday, August 05
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01
Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses NCAA vs. House Settlement & Bill Richards Thank You
Friday, June 27
Worthen Arena // Floor Update Timelapse
Wednesday, June 04