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Photo by: Haley Boehm
WVB's Streak Ends With Five-Set Loss at Toledo
February 04, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - Facing its toughest test of the young season, the Ball State women's volleyball team rallied from down 2-1 to reach match point five times in the fifth set.Â
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Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as Toledo squeaked out a hard-fought 3-2 (25-17. 17-25, 25-21, 20-25, 21-19) Mid-American Conference victory at Savage Arena. The loss moves the Cardinals to 4-1 (4-1 MAC) on the year, while the Rockets improve to 2-3 (2-3 MAC).
"Toledo is a well-coached team that can find any weaknesses you have and expose them," acting head coach Fritz Rosenberg said. "While we played a tough, gritty match, Toledo really showed us where we need to improve. They play a scrappy defense which keeps them in every match."
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Tough battles have been a staple of the all-time series with Toledo, including last season's meeting which saw Ball State earn a 23-21 fifth-set victory on its home court on Halloween. In fact, 23 of the last 39 meetings have lasted at least four sets, with 16 ending in five.
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Despite the setback, the Cardinals were still able to effectively spread the ball with three different attackers finishing the night with double-digit kills. The most impressive performance came from sophomore opposite Allison Hamaker (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) who smashed a season-high 17 kills.
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Five of those kills came in the second-frame victory, including four in a five-point span to give Ball State a 17-11 edge.Â
"I thought Allison played a great match tonight," Rosenberg said. "She was in a great rhythm with Kate Vinson and really did a good job keeping the Toledo defense off balance."
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Senior outside hitter Kia Holder (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) was second on the squad with 12 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory) reached double figures for the first time this season with 10.
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In a battle of the top two blocking teams in the MAC, the Cardinals came out on top with a 12.0-to-10.0 advantage. Sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) led the way with a career-high seven blocks, while freshman middle Lauren Gilliland (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater) was right behind with six.
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Sophomore libero Maggie Huber (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) led a trio of Cardinals in double figures in the backcourt, with a career-high 35 digs. Huber also paced Ball State's servers with a pair of aces.
"I don't think anyone had a doubt that Maggie could play libero," Rosenberg said. "She is a strong defender and covers a lot of ground for us back there. She's a great competitor who works hard to make everyone on the team better, and does whatever it takes to make plays."
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Risi added 15 digs to her 10 kills for her first double-double of the season, while freshman setter Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) collected 10 digs to go along with 27 assists for her second double-double of the year.
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Ball State will look to avenge tonight's lost at Toledo tomorrow afternoon, when the teams meet up for a 4:30 p.m. first serve at Savage Arena.
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Unfortunately, it was not meant to be, as Toledo squeaked out a hard-fought 3-2 (25-17. 17-25, 25-21, 20-25, 21-19) Mid-American Conference victory at Savage Arena. The loss moves the Cardinals to 4-1 (4-1 MAC) on the year, while the Rockets improve to 2-3 (2-3 MAC).
"Toledo is a well-coached team that can find any weaknesses you have and expose them," acting head coach Fritz Rosenberg said. "While we played a tough, gritty match, Toledo really showed us where we need to improve. They play a scrappy defense which keeps them in every match."
Â
Tough battles have been a staple of the all-time series with Toledo, including last season's meeting which saw Ball State earn a 23-21 fifth-set victory on its home court on Halloween. In fact, 23 of the last 39 meetings have lasted at least four sets, with 16 ending in five.
Â
Despite the setback, the Cardinals were still able to effectively spread the ball with three different attackers finishing the night with double-digit kills. The most impressive performance came from sophomore opposite Allison Hamaker (Lombard, Ill./Glenbard East) who smashed a season-high 17 kills.
Â
Five of those kills came in the second-frame victory, including four in a five-point span to give Ball State a 17-11 edge.Â
"I thought Allison played a great match tonight," Rosenberg said. "She was in a great rhythm with Kate Vinson and really did a good job keeping the Toledo defense off balance."
Â
Senior outside hitter Kia Holder (Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso) was second on the squad with 12 kills, while sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory) reached double figures for the first time this season with 10.
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In a battle of the top two blocking teams in the MAC, the Cardinals came out on top with a 12.0-to-10.0 advantage. Sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) led the way with a career-high seven blocks, while freshman middle Lauren Gilliland (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater) was right behind with six.
Â
Sophomore libero Maggie Huber (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) led a trio of Cardinals in double figures in the backcourt, with a career-high 35 digs. Huber also paced Ball State's servers with a pair of aces.
"I don't think anyone had a doubt that Maggie could play libero," Rosenberg said. "She is a strong defender and covers a lot of ground for us back there. She's a great competitor who works hard to make everyone on the team better, and does whatever it takes to make plays."
Â
Risi added 15 digs to her 10 kills for her first double-double of the season, while freshman setter Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown) collected 10 digs to go along with 27 assists for her second double-double of the year.
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Ball State will look to avenge tonight's lost at Toledo tomorrow afternoon, when the teams meet up for a 4:30 p.m. first serve at Savage Arena.
Team Stats
BSU
UT
Kills
58
69
Errors
27
35
Attempts
203
208
Hitting %
.153
.163
Points
75
82
Assists
54
64
Aces
5
3
Blocks
12
10
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
7
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS / S
/ Women's Volleyball
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