Friday, November 5
Muncie, IN
6:30 p.m.
Ball State University
24-3,14-1MAC
3
vs
1
Central Michigan
11-16,5-10MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Central Mich.
19
25
18
17
1
Ball St.
25
19
25
25
3
WVB Celebrates Senior Night with 3-1 Win Over Central Michigan
November 05, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team celebrated senior night with a 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-18, 25-17) victory over Central Michigan Friday evening in front of another enthusiastic crowd inside Worthen Arena.
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"We had another unbelievable atmosphere tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said after the win. "The crowd was phenomenal. They were really behind us tonight and pulling for us. They were completely the seventh man tonight and it was a huge advantage."
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Feeding off the crowd was one of three senior student-athletes celebrated on the night, as graduate Jaclyn Bulmahn smashed a match-high 16 kills to help the Cardinals improve to 24-3 overall and to 14-1 in Mid-American Conference play. With its pair of wins this week, Ball State secured the MAC West Division Championship and a first-round bye in the upcoming MAC Volleyball Championship which will be hosted by the tournament's top seed.
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BSU's 24 wins are the most for an NCAA Division I women's volleyball program this season, while its 14-match winning streak ties as the fifth-longest in program history.Â
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Ball State's other two seniors got into the action as well against the Chippewas (11-16; 5-10 MAC), as defensive specialist Cathryn Starck played all four sets, collected eight digs and was a perfect 20-for-20 in serve receive. In addition, senior Esther Grussing set BSU's final three kills to seal the victory.
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"Those seniors have meant so much to us," Phillips said. "Jaclyn, in her short time here, has made such an impression on so many people. Cat and Esther have completely bought in and done anything and everything we could've asked them to do this whole time. Their leadership, focus, and determination have been huge, and I am grateful for the opportunity to coach them."
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In addition to the contributions from its seniors, Ball State once again turned in a balanced offensive attack to secure the victory. Outside Natalie Risi was second in the match, behind Bulmahn, with 14 kills, while middle Marie Plitt scored 13 kills and opposite Natalie Mitchem registered 12.
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Plitt also tuned in another impressive hitting performance, leading all players with a career-best .706 (13-1-17) attack percentage. That effort helped Ball State connect for a .296 (64-19-152) rate of success as a team.
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Megan Wielonski also played a large role in the team's attacking success, handing out a 56 total assists over the four sets, two shy of her career high. She also registered seven digs, two blocks, and served up one more ace to raise her league-leading total to 45.
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In the backcourt, libero Maggie Huber turned in another strong performance with a match-best 22 digs and a perfect reception percentage of her own on 15 attempts. Defensive specialist Havyn Gates was also perfect in reception in 20 attempts, while adding 12 digs and a match-high two service aces.
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At the net, Plitt led all players with five blocks, while Bulmahn and middle Lauren Gilliland tied for second on the squad with three blocks apiece. Gilliland also scored eight kills and hit .300 (8-2-20) for the night.
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Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez led the Central Michigan attack with 14 kills and a .524 (14-3-21) attack percentage, while Aly Gurtiza had a team-high 20 digs. The BSU defense limited the CMU attack to a .224 (50-18-143) attack percentage and managed to out-dig the MAC's best backcourt team 63 to 60.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team will play its final three matches of the 2021 regular season on the road, starting next Friday with a 2 p.m. serve at Western Michigan.
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"We had another unbelievable atmosphere tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said after the win. "The crowd was phenomenal. They were really behind us tonight and pulling for us. They were completely the seventh man tonight and it was a huge advantage."
Â
Feeding off the crowd was one of three senior student-athletes celebrated on the night, as graduate Jaclyn Bulmahn smashed a match-high 16 kills to help the Cardinals improve to 24-3 overall and to 14-1 in Mid-American Conference play. With its pair of wins this week, Ball State secured the MAC West Division Championship and a first-round bye in the upcoming MAC Volleyball Championship which will be hosted by the tournament's top seed.
Â
BSU's 24 wins are the most for an NCAA Division I women's volleyball program this season, while its 14-match winning streak ties as the fifth-longest in program history.Â
Â
Ball State's other two seniors got into the action as well against the Chippewas (11-16; 5-10 MAC), as defensive specialist Cathryn Starck played all four sets, collected eight digs and was a perfect 20-for-20 in serve receive. In addition, senior Esther Grussing set BSU's final three kills to seal the victory.
Â
"Those seniors have meant so much to us," Phillips said. "Jaclyn, in her short time here, has made such an impression on so many people. Cat and Esther have completely bought in and done anything and everything we could've asked them to do this whole time. Their leadership, focus, and determination have been huge, and I am grateful for the opportunity to coach them."
Â
In addition to the contributions from its seniors, Ball State once again turned in a balanced offensive attack to secure the victory. Outside Natalie Risi was second in the match, behind Bulmahn, with 14 kills, while middle Marie Plitt scored 13 kills and opposite Natalie Mitchem registered 12.
Â
Plitt also tuned in another impressive hitting performance, leading all players with a career-best .706 (13-1-17) attack percentage. That effort helped Ball State connect for a .296 (64-19-152) rate of success as a team.
Â
Megan Wielonski also played a large role in the team's attacking success, handing out a 56 total assists over the four sets, two shy of her career high. She also registered seven digs, two blocks, and served up one more ace to raise her league-leading total to 45.
Â
In the backcourt, libero Maggie Huber turned in another strong performance with a match-best 22 digs and a perfect reception percentage of her own on 15 attempts. Defensive specialist Havyn Gates was also perfect in reception in 20 attempts, while adding 12 digs and a match-high two service aces.
Â
At the net, Plitt led all players with five blocks, while Bulmahn and middle Lauren Gilliland tied for second on the squad with three blocks apiece. Gilliland also scored eight kills and hit .300 (8-2-20) for the night.
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Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez led the Central Michigan attack with 14 kills and a .524 (14-3-21) attack percentage, while Aly Gurtiza had a team-high 20 digs. The BSU defense limited the CMU attack to a .224 (50-18-143) attack percentage and managed to out-dig the MAC's best backcourt team 63 to 60.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team will play its final three matches of the 2021 regular season on the road, starting next Friday with a 2 p.m. serve at Western Michigan.
Team Stats
CMU
BSU
Kills
50
64
Errors
18
19
Attempts
143
152
Hitting %
.224
.296
Points
62
77
Assists
46
61
Aces
3
4
Blocks
9
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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