Tuesday, March 23
Oxford, OH
7 p.m.
Ball State University
8-11,8-11MAC
2
at
3
Miami
11-8,11-8MAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ball St.
13
25
25
22
13
2
Miami (OH)
25
23
23
25
15
3
WVB Falls Short in Five-Set Battle at Miami
March 23, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
OXFORD, Ohio - - After dropping the opening set 25-13, the Ball State women's volleyball team battled back to take a 2-1 lead over Miami Tuesday night in a pivotal Mid-American Conference match up.
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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (8-11) could not keep momentum on their side as the RedHawks (11-8) stormed back to take the final two frames to win the match 3-2 (25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13).
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"I am proud of how we battled tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We didn't let the first set rattle us, and played much better volleyball over the final four. Miami is a very talented team and extremely hard to beat at Millett Hall. We did all we could to get the victory, but we fell a few points short in the end."
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With the loss, coupled by wins from Ohio (10-7) and Central Michigan (11-9) in other MAC action this evening, Ball State has been eliminated from contention for one of the four spots in next week's league championship tournament.
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Senior Kia Holder led all players in the match with 19 kills and hit a solid .234 (19-8-47). She also collected three total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
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"I thought Kia played one heck of a match," Phillips added. "She came up with some big momentum plays for us all night long, and did a great job keeping everyone on our side energized."
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In last Tuesday's (March 16) sweep of the RedHawks in Worthen Arena, it was Ball State's middle tandem of sophomore Marie Plitt and freshman Lauren Gilliland who dominated play. The pair combined for 17 kills, a .536 (17-2-28) attack percentage and 11 total blocks.
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Tonight, Miami was able to essentially shut the pair down, minus a strong run from Plitt early in the fifth set. Plitt tallied six kills and hit .333 (6-1-15) for the match, while Gilliland scored five kills and hit .118 (5-3-17). They did add six and five total blocks, respectively, to keep both of their season averages above 1.00.
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Overall, the Cardinals hit .214 (58-24-159) as a team, led by redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing who was on point with her dumping game, scoring a career-high six kills and hitting a career-best .714 (6-1-7). She also dished out 44 assists and collected 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the year.
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Sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem added 11 kills, while freshman outside Cait Snyder finished the night with nine.
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In the backcourt, sophomore libero Natalie Risi led Ball State with 15 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Kate Vinson added 10.
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Despite 13.0 team blocks from Ball State, Miami finished the night hitting .266 (68-23-169). Sophie Riemersma led four RedHawks in double figures with 18 kills, while Abigail Huser was credited with a match-best 17 digs.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the 2020-21 season this weekend with a two-match series at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals and Eagles will square off at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday inside the Convocation Center.
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Unfortunately, the Cardinals (8-11) could not keep momentum on their side as the RedHawks (11-8) stormed back to take the final two frames to win the match 3-2 (25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13).
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"I am proud of how we battled tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We didn't let the first set rattle us, and played much better volleyball over the final four. Miami is a very talented team and extremely hard to beat at Millett Hall. We did all we could to get the victory, but we fell a few points short in the end."
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With the loss, coupled by wins from Ohio (10-7) and Central Michigan (11-9) in other MAC action this evening, Ball State has been eliminated from contention for one of the four spots in next week's league championship tournament.
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Senior Kia Holder led all players in the match with 19 kills and hit a solid .234 (19-8-47). She also collected three total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
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"I thought Kia played one heck of a match," Phillips added. "She came up with some big momentum plays for us all night long, and did a great job keeping everyone on our side energized."
Â
In last Tuesday's (March 16) sweep of the RedHawks in Worthen Arena, it was Ball State's middle tandem of sophomore Marie Plitt and freshman Lauren Gilliland who dominated play. The pair combined for 17 kills, a .536 (17-2-28) attack percentage and 11 total blocks.
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Tonight, Miami was able to essentially shut the pair down, minus a strong run from Plitt early in the fifth set. Plitt tallied six kills and hit .333 (6-1-15) for the match, while Gilliland scored five kills and hit .118 (5-3-17). They did add six and five total blocks, respectively, to keep both of their season averages above 1.00.
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Overall, the Cardinals hit .214 (58-24-159) as a team, led by redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing who was on point with her dumping game, scoring a career-high six kills and hitting a career-best .714 (6-1-7). She also dished out 44 assists and collected 13 digs for her fifth double-double of the year.
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Sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem added 11 kills, while freshman outside Cait Snyder finished the night with nine.
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In the backcourt, sophomore libero Natalie Risi led Ball State with 15 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Kate Vinson added 10.
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Despite 13.0 team blocks from Ball State, Miami finished the night hitting .266 (68-23-169). Sophie Riemersma led four RedHawks in double figures with 18 kills, while Abigail Huser was credited with a match-best 17 digs.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the 2020-21 season this weekend with a two-match series at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals and Eagles will square off at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday inside the Convocation Center.
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Team Stats
BSU
Miami
Kills
58
68
Errors
24
23
Attempts
159
169
Hitting %
.214
.266
Points
73
81
Assists
49
56
Aces
2
5
Blocks
13
8
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's VolleyballS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS / S
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