Friday, October 29
Muncie, IN
6:30 p.m.
Ball State University
21-3,11-1MAC
3
vs
0
Bowling Green
15-7,11-1MAC
1
2
3
F
Bowling Green
15
22
23
0
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
Volleyball Takes Over MAC Lead with Sweep of Bowling Green
October 29, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - In a clash of Mid-American Conference leaders, the Ball State women's volleyball team used the energy of an enthusiastic Worthen Arena crowd to earn a statement win Friday night with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-23) sweep of Bowling Green.
"The fans were awesome tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "I loved how engaged everybody was. For a super high-intensity match, with Bowling Green taking huge rips on the ball, I thought we did a great job defensively of just staying the course. It was a great match for the fans to watch and I couldn't ask for more."
Once again, the Cardinals (21-3; 11-1 MAC) turned in a dominating performance on offense, finishing the night with a .328 (49-8-125) attack percentage against a Falcons (15-7; 11-1 MAC) squad which entered the match as the league's top defense by holding opponents to a .162 mark.
"That's who we've been all year; we've been pretty balanced and had a different player hot each night," Phillips said about the team's offense Friday night. "It's nothing game plan specific, we just like to have balance and find what our matchups are. We go at it and need to continue to do that. We need all our attackers firing on all cylinders"
As strong as the offense was, however, it was Ball State's backcourt which set the tone early as the squad combined for 27 digs in the opening set, answering the big swings from BGSU's attackers with huge defensive plays one after the other.
"I think we were locked in from the beginning," Ball State libero Maggie Huber, who led all players with 20 digs, said. "Our big focus on backcourt defense is getting stopped, and everyone did a really good job of that from the beginning. We were also able to make a lot of rundown plays."
That effort help BSU ran its current winning streak to 11 matches and snapped Bowling Green's 12-match streak. In addition, the Cardinals take a half-match lead over the Falcons in the race for the MAC regular season title and hosting rights for the 2021 MAC Volleyball Champions in late November. Both squads have six contests remaining.
In addition to the solid opening-set defense, which saw five players record at least four digs apiece, Ball State hit .390 (18-2-41) on its way to a 10-point victory. The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-1 edge in the frame, only to see BGSU battle back and tie the score at 8-8. A kill from outside Jaclyn Bulmahn would break the tie and help Ball State go on a 7-2 run. It was all BSU from there, as the Cardinals won the frame 25-15 on a kill from middle Lauren Gilliland.
Ball State kept its foot on the gas early in the second set, scoring the first four points. However, the Falcons showed why the entered the match with an unblemished league record by eventually pulling head 18-13. The Cardinals would not be denied the set win, however, as they stormed back to tie the score at 19 on a service ace from setter Megan Wielonski.
With BSU leading 23-22 following a BGSU kill, Wielonski would come up big again, combining with middle Marie Plitt for back-to-back blocks to give BSU the 25-22 set victory.
As exciting as the set two comeback was, the third frame was even more thrilling. BGSU would build a 21-18 lead, forcing Ball State to call its second timeout. Outside Natalie Risi would snap the Falcons run with a kill on the next rally, but Bowling Green would still lead by two at 23-21.
Bulmahn made sure the guests would not reach set point with a kill on the next play, while opposite Natalie Mitchem tied the score with a blast on the ensuing rally. Following BGSU's second timeout, Mitchem struck again to give BSU match point.
Wielonski followed with another strong serve, forcing a BGSU attack error on the second touch to end the match and give BSU the current lead in the MAC standings.
"I think we focus a lot on how every point matters and today was a good example of that," Huber added. "We kept pushing, not taking a single point off, and that really helps us be successful."
Leading a balanced attacking effort for the Cardinals was Risi with a team-high 12 kills and a .321 (12-3-28) hitting mark. Bulmahn was second on the squad with nine kills, while Mitchem and Plitt collected eight apiece. Plitt also led BSU at the net with four total blocks.
Mitchem would go on to hit .471 (8-0-17), trailing only Gilliland on the night who finished with a .583 (7-0-12) attack percentage.
In addition to her match-high 20 digs, Huber was a perfect 19-for-19 in serve receive. Risi and defensive specialist Havyn Gates added 11 digs apiece, while Wielonski collected 10 digs to go along with her 39 assists for her 14th double-double of the season.
Thanks to its 67 digs and seven total blocks, the Ball State defense limited Bowling Green to a .191 (42-17-131) attack percentage on the night. Kat Mandly let BGSU with 13 kills, while Katelyn Meyer was right behind with 12. Julia Walt led the Falcons defense with 17 digs.
"I'm glad we came out and played hard, but at the same time, we have several more matches versus tough teams in the MAC," Phillips added. "We have got to continue to just take care of business."
The Ball State women's volleyball team will have another big match Saturday, when it hosts Miami for Chirp or Treat. The RedHawks enter the contest on a three-match winning streak, including a 3-1 victory over Toledo tonight.
Chirp or Treat is a FREE community event features trick-or-treating starting at 5:30 p.m. on the Worthen Arena Concourse sponsored by the Ball State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Fans can also receive FREE admissions to the match, which starts at 6:30 p.m., by registering at BallStateSports.com/Halloween.
"The fans were awesome tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "I loved how engaged everybody was. For a super high-intensity match, with Bowling Green taking huge rips on the ball, I thought we did a great job defensively of just staying the course. It was a great match for the fans to watch and I couldn't ask for more."
Once again, the Cardinals (21-3; 11-1 MAC) turned in a dominating performance on offense, finishing the night with a .328 (49-8-125) attack percentage against a Falcons (15-7; 11-1 MAC) squad which entered the match as the league's top defense by holding opponents to a .162 mark.
"That's who we've been all year; we've been pretty balanced and had a different player hot each night," Phillips said about the team's offense Friday night. "It's nothing game plan specific, we just like to have balance and find what our matchups are. We go at it and need to continue to do that. We need all our attackers firing on all cylinders"
As strong as the offense was, however, it was Ball State's backcourt which set the tone early as the squad combined for 27 digs in the opening set, answering the big swings from BGSU's attackers with huge defensive plays one after the other.
"I think we were locked in from the beginning," Ball State libero Maggie Huber, who led all players with 20 digs, said. "Our big focus on backcourt defense is getting stopped, and everyone did a really good job of that from the beginning. We were also able to make a lot of rundown plays."
That effort help BSU ran its current winning streak to 11 matches and snapped Bowling Green's 12-match streak. In addition, the Cardinals take a half-match lead over the Falcons in the race for the MAC regular season title and hosting rights for the 2021 MAC Volleyball Champions in late November. Both squads have six contests remaining.
In addition to the solid opening-set defense, which saw five players record at least four digs apiece, Ball State hit .390 (18-2-41) on its way to a 10-point victory. The Cardinals jumped out to a 6-1 edge in the frame, only to see BGSU battle back and tie the score at 8-8. A kill from outside Jaclyn Bulmahn would break the tie and help Ball State go on a 7-2 run. It was all BSU from there, as the Cardinals won the frame 25-15 on a kill from middle Lauren Gilliland.
Ball State kept its foot on the gas early in the second set, scoring the first four points. However, the Falcons showed why the entered the match with an unblemished league record by eventually pulling head 18-13. The Cardinals would not be denied the set win, however, as they stormed back to tie the score at 19 on a service ace from setter Megan Wielonski.
With BSU leading 23-22 following a BGSU kill, Wielonski would come up big again, combining with middle Marie Plitt for back-to-back blocks to give BSU the 25-22 set victory.
As exciting as the set two comeback was, the third frame was even more thrilling. BGSU would build a 21-18 lead, forcing Ball State to call its second timeout. Outside Natalie Risi would snap the Falcons run with a kill on the next rally, but Bowling Green would still lead by two at 23-21.
Bulmahn made sure the guests would not reach set point with a kill on the next play, while opposite Natalie Mitchem tied the score with a blast on the ensuing rally. Following BGSU's second timeout, Mitchem struck again to give BSU match point.
Wielonski followed with another strong serve, forcing a BGSU attack error on the second touch to end the match and give BSU the current lead in the MAC standings.
"I think we focus a lot on how every point matters and today was a good example of that," Huber added. "We kept pushing, not taking a single point off, and that really helps us be successful."
Leading a balanced attacking effort for the Cardinals was Risi with a team-high 12 kills and a .321 (12-3-28) hitting mark. Bulmahn was second on the squad with nine kills, while Mitchem and Plitt collected eight apiece. Plitt also led BSU at the net with four total blocks.
Mitchem would go on to hit .471 (8-0-17), trailing only Gilliland on the night who finished with a .583 (7-0-12) attack percentage.
In addition to her match-high 20 digs, Huber was a perfect 19-for-19 in serve receive. Risi and defensive specialist Havyn Gates added 11 digs apiece, while Wielonski collected 10 digs to go along with her 39 assists for her 14th double-double of the season.
Thanks to its 67 digs and seven total blocks, the Ball State defense limited Bowling Green to a .191 (42-17-131) attack percentage on the night. Kat Mandly let BGSU with 13 kills, while Katelyn Meyer was right behind with 12. Julia Walt led the Falcons defense with 17 digs.
"I'm glad we came out and played hard, but at the same time, we have several more matches versus tough teams in the MAC," Phillips added. "We have got to continue to just take care of business."
The Ball State women's volleyball team will have another big match Saturday, when it hosts Miami for Chirp or Treat. The RedHawks enter the contest on a three-match winning streak, including a 3-1 victory over Toledo tonight.
Chirp or Treat is a FREE community event features trick-or-treating starting at 5:30 p.m. on the Worthen Arena Concourse sponsored by the Ball State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Fans can also receive FREE admissions to the match, which starts at 6:30 p.m., by registering at BallStateSports.com/Halloween.
Team Stats
BGSU
BSU
Kills
42
49
Errors
17
8
Attempts
131
125
Hitting %
.191
.328
Points
52
58
Assists
39
47
Aces
4
2
Blocks
6
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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