Friday, September 20
Muncie, IND
7:00 PM
Ball State University
3
vs
0
Austin Peay
Photo by: Brad Caudill - Ball State Athletics
Volleyball Sweeps Austin Peay in Active Ankle Challenge Opener
September 20, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After spending the past two weeks on the road, the Ball State women's volleyball program returned to Worthen Arena in a big way, opening the Active Ankle Challenge with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-14) sweep of Austin Peay Friday night.
"I thought we played well today," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "In the first two sets, we had spurts where we were pretty solid and spurts where we made one too many errors. In set three, we bounced back and got into our more traditional groove. I thought everyone played consistently well and I was happy with our effort."
In a match featuring tons of local talent on both sides of the net, it was the play of freshman Lombard, Illinois native Allison Hamaker which helped carry the Cardinals (5-5) to the victory. Hamaker led all players with 14 kills, two shy of her career high set in a five-set win at Grand Canyon (Sept. 6). She also hit for a .423 (14-3-26) rate of success to help Ball State out-hit the Governors (1-10) by a .297 (47-14-111) to .128 (29-17-94) margin.
"Allison has been a major influence on our offense," Phillips said about Friday's leading attacker. "Having another pin that's scoring at such a high level has opened up all of our other attackers. She's always focused, always gives 100% and is going to do anything and everything she can to score. She's put in a lot of hard work and has been a huge factor for us in the last few weeks."
Turning back to the local scene, freshman middle MyKel Ivy had another strong night with eight kills and a .300 (8-2-20) attacking mark. The Burris Laboratory School graduate also collected a block and served up her first career ace in the win. Ball State's Yorktown graduate and senior libero, Kate Avila, registered seven digs and a service ace.
"It's great to get a win like this in front of your home crowd," Phillips said. "We had an awesome crowd tonight and I want to thank everyone who came out to support us. Ultimately, tonight's match was just another step in our process, and we continue to get more confident and in a better rhythm each and every week. I am happy with how we are playing."
Also playing a big part in Friday's win over Austin Peay was senior middle Sydnee VanBeek with a match-high five total blocks, including a three solo stuffs. Freshmen outside attackers Natalie Risi and Natalie Mitchem added nine and eight kills, respectively, to round out Ball State's top scorers.
Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber led the Ball State defense with 10 digs, while senior setter Amber Seaman dished out a match-high 35 assists and served up a pair of aces.
On Austin Peay's side of the court, Yorktown graduates MiMi Arrington and Tegan Seyring also saw plenty of action in their hometown arena. Arrington, a senior for the Governors, finished the night with seven assists and was second on the team with eight digs. Seyring, a freshman on the squad, scored three kills and collected three digs. Delta graduate and junior Chloe Stitt added five kills and three digs for the Govs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action early Saturday afternoon with a Noon first serve versus Wright State. The Cardinals close the 2019 Active Ankle Challenge later in the evening with a 7 p.m. match up against Missouri State. In the tournament's opening match, the Raiders (9-1) earned a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-14) sweep over the Bears (3-9).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
"I thought we played well today," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "In the first two sets, we had spurts where we were pretty solid and spurts where we made one too many errors. In set three, we bounced back and got into our more traditional groove. I thought everyone played consistently well and I was happy with our effort."
In a match featuring tons of local talent on both sides of the net, it was the play of freshman Lombard, Illinois native Allison Hamaker which helped carry the Cardinals (5-5) to the victory. Hamaker led all players with 14 kills, two shy of her career high set in a five-set win at Grand Canyon (Sept. 6). She also hit for a .423 (14-3-26) rate of success to help Ball State out-hit the Governors (1-10) by a .297 (47-14-111) to .128 (29-17-94) margin.
"Allison has been a major influence on our offense," Phillips said about Friday's leading attacker. "Having another pin that's scoring at such a high level has opened up all of our other attackers. She's always focused, always gives 100% and is going to do anything and everything she can to score. She's put in a lot of hard work and has been a huge factor for us in the last few weeks."
Turning back to the local scene, freshman middle MyKel Ivy had another strong night with eight kills and a .300 (8-2-20) attacking mark. The Burris Laboratory School graduate also collected a block and served up her first career ace in the win. Ball State's Yorktown graduate and senior libero, Kate Avila, registered seven digs and a service ace.
"It's great to get a win like this in front of your home crowd," Phillips said. "We had an awesome crowd tonight and I want to thank everyone who came out to support us. Ultimately, tonight's match was just another step in our process, and we continue to get more confident and in a better rhythm each and every week. I am happy with how we are playing."
Also playing a big part in Friday's win over Austin Peay was senior middle Sydnee VanBeek with a match-high five total blocks, including a three solo stuffs. Freshmen outside attackers Natalie Risi and Natalie Mitchem added nine and eight kills, respectively, to round out Ball State's top scorers.
Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber led the Ball State defense with 10 digs, while senior setter Amber Seaman dished out a match-high 35 assists and served up a pair of aces.
On Austin Peay's side of the court, Yorktown graduates MiMi Arrington and Tegan Seyring also saw plenty of action in their hometown arena. Arrington, a senior for the Governors, finished the night with seven assists and was second on the team with eight digs. Seyring, a freshman on the squad, scored three kills and collected three digs. Delta graduate and junior Chloe Stitt added five kills and three digs for the Govs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action early Saturday afternoon with a Noon first serve versus Wright State. The Cardinals close the 2019 Active Ankle Challenge later in the evening with a 7 p.m. match up against Missouri State. In the tournament's opening match, the Raiders (9-1) earned a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-14) sweep over the Bears (3-9).
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.
- BallStateSports.com -
Players Mentioned
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OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
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OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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