Friday, October 22
Kalamazoo, MI
6 p.m.
Ball State University
19-3,9-1MAC
3
at
0
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Western Michigan
14-7,7-3MAC
1
2
3
F
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
Western Mich.
21
20
19
0
Volleyball Sweeps WMU in Weekend Opener
October 22, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - - Chalk up round one to the Ball State women's volleyball team, which opened a huge Mid-American Conference West Division series at Western Michigan with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-19) sweep Friday night at University Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 19-3 overall and to 9-1 in MAC play. The Broncos fall to 14-7 overall and to 7-3 in the league.
In picking up its ninth consecutive victory, Ball State turned in another dominating effort on offense, hitting .336 (47-9-113) on the night. It is the squad's fourth-best attacking effort of the season and the sixth time BSU has hit above .300 in a match this season.
Ball State came out of the gate strong in the battle for the top spot in the MAC West Division, jumping out to a 15-4 lead in the opening set. However, Western Michigan battled back within one at the 18-17 mark. The Cardinals followed with seven of the final 11 points to win the set 25-21.
The second frame saw WMU jump out to an early 10-4 edge, only to have Ball State answer back and tie the score at 14 on a solo block from opposite Natalie Mitchem. With the score tied at 15, BSU would go on a five-point run, which included a pair of kills from outside Natalie Risi, to pull ahead by five. The Cardinals would win the set by the same margin.
"We stayed the course against a tough Western Michigan squad and just continued to play one point at a time," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said about the opening two sets. "We must continue to look to eliminate those runs of errors on our side, but I'm proud of how we kept battling even when WMU put pressure on us."
The Cardinals never trailed in the third frame, but WMU did manage to keep it tight at 19-19. However, a kill from middle Lauren Gilliland gave the serve to setter Megan Wielonski. From there, Wielonski served out the match, including her second ace at 23-19, to give Ball State the sweep.
In addition to her set-tying block in the second stanza, Mitchem finished the night with a team-high 11 kills. She also hit .458 for the contest, without a single error in 24 attempts.
Gilliland was right behind with 10 kills and a .533 (10-2-15) hitting mark. Meanwhile, Risi and middle Marie Plitt added seven kills each.
In the backcourt, libero Maggie Huber led all players with 15 digs, as well as serving up a match-high three aces. The effort helped Ball State keep the service pressure on the Broncos all night, with BSU ultimately serving up seven total aces to WMU's one.
Defensive specialist Havyn Gates also turned in a solid performance in the back row by adding 12 digs. Wielonski would score 10, along with her 30 assists, for her 12 double-double of the season.
"Our backcourt continues to work and get better each week," Phillips added. "We've been putting a lot of emphasis on being loaded and making defensive plays and we're starting to make more plays each weekend."
Meredith Phillips led the Western Michigan attack with 13 kills, while Mairead Boyle had a team-high 13 digs.
Ball State and Western Michigan will meet one more time Saturday, this time for a 3 p.m. serve at University Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 19-3 overall and to 9-1 in MAC play. The Broncos fall to 14-7 overall and to 7-3 in the league.
In picking up its ninth consecutive victory, Ball State turned in another dominating effort on offense, hitting .336 (47-9-113) on the night. It is the squad's fourth-best attacking effort of the season and the sixth time BSU has hit above .300 in a match this season.
Ball State came out of the gate strong in the battle for the top spot in the MAC West Division, jumping out to a 15-4 lead in the opening set. However, Western Michigan battled back within one at the 18-17 mark. The Cardinals followed with seven of the final 11 points to win the set 25-21.
The second frame saw WMU jump out to an early 10-4 edge, only to have Ball State answer back and tie the score at 14 on a solo block from opposite Natalie Mitchem. With the score tied at 15, BSU would go on a five-point run, which included a pair of kills from outside Natalie Risi, to pull ahead by five. The Cardinals would win the set by the same margin.
"We stayed the course against a tough Western Michigan squad and just continued to play one point at a time," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said about the opening two sets. "We must continue to look to eliminate those runs of errors on our side, but I'm proud of how we kept battling even when WMU put pressure on us."
The Cardinals never trailed in the third frame, but WMU did manage to keep it tight at 19-19. However, a kill from middle Lauren Gilliland gave the serve to setter Megan Wielonski. From there, Wielonski served out the match, including her second ace at 23-19, to give Ball State the sweep.
In addition to her set-tying block in the second stanza, Mitchem finished the night with a team-high 11 kills. She also hit .458 for the contest, without a single error in 24 attempts.
Gilliland was right behind with 10 kills and a .533 (10-2-15) hitting mark. Meanwhile, Risi and middle Marie Plitt added seven kills each.
In the backcourt, libero Maggie Huber led all players with 15 digs, as well as serving up a match-high three aces. The effort helped Ball State keep the service pressure on the Broncos all night, with BSU ultimately serving up seven total aces to WMU's one.
Defensive specialist Havyn Gates also turned in a solid performance in the back row by adding 12 digs. Wielonski would score 10, along with her 30 assists, for her 12 double-double of the season.
"Our backcourt continues to work and get better each week," Phillips added. "We've been putting a lot of emphasis on being loaded and making defensive plays and we're starting to make more plays each weekend."
Meredith Phillips led the Western Michigan attack with 13 kills, while Mairead Boyle had a team-high 13 digs.
Ball State and Western Michigan will meet one more time Saturday, this time for a 3 p.m. serve at University Arena.
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Team Stats
BSU
WMU
Kills
47
45
Errors
9
16
Attempts
113
119
Hitting %
.336
.244
Points
59
49
Assists
41
41
Aces
7
1
Blocks
5
3
Game Leaders
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
DS
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballWomen's Volleyball // Midweek Hype Video
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This Week in Ball State Sports Podcast // Mike Uremovich, Lindsey Green & Jeff Mitchell
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This Week in Ball State Sports // Mike Uremovich, Ally Becki, Qua Ashley & Kelli Miller Phillips
Thursday, September 18