
WVB Fails to Repeat Magic in Friday Loss at Ohio
March 05, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
ATHENS, Ohio - - When Ball State women's volleyball senior outside hitter Kia Holder smashed her match-leading 14th kill of the night to tie the score at 24-24 in the third set, you could see the fear in the eyes of the Ohio players.
Unfortunately, the magic that carried the Cardinals (6-6, 6-6 MAC) to a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Bobcats (5-4, 5-4 MAC) Thursday night did not repeat itself Friday.
Ohio was able to answer with the next two points to complete a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 26-24) sweep to escape with a series split versus the defending MAC Tournament Champion Cardinals.
In addition to finishing the night with a match-high 14 kills, Holder continued to connect at a solid pace with a .294 (14-4-34) attack percentage. She also collected three digs and a pair of block assists.
Next on the attacking list for Ball State was freshman middle Lauren Gilliland who registered a career-high eight kills and hit a career-best .583 (8-1-12). The effort, along with a .600 (6-0-10) rate of success from sophomore middle Marie Plitt, helped Ball State finish the match with a .257 (40-12-109) attack percentage.
Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi also had a strong afternoon, tallying eight kills and six digs.
Redshirt sophomore Esther Grussing once again set the Ball State offense, handing out 30 assists while leading the team with nine digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will have a quick turnaround, as it now travels to Western Michigan for a 2 p.m. first serve Sunday.
Unfortunately, the magic that carried the Cardinals (6-6, 6-6 MAC) to a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win over the Bobcats (5-4, 5-4 MAC) Thursday night did not repeat itself Friday.
Ohio was able to answer with the next two points to complete a 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 26-24) sweep to escape with a series split versus the defending MAC Tournament Champion Cardinals.
In addition to finishing the night with a match-high 14 kills, Holder continued to connect at a solid pace with a .294 (14-4-34) attack percentage. She also collected three digs and a pair of block assists.
Next on the attacking list for Ball State was freshman middle Lauren Gilliland who registered a career-high eight kills and hit a career-best .583 (8-1-12). The effort, along with a .600 (6-0-10) rate of success from sophomore middle Marie Plitt, helped Ball State finish the match with a .257 (40-12-109) attack percentage.
Sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi also had a strong afternoon, tallying eight kills and six digs.
Redshirt sophomore Esther Grussing once again set the Ball State offense, handing out 30 assists while leading the team with nine digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will have a quick turnaround, as it now travels to Western Michigan for a 2 p.m. first serve Sunday.
Team Stats
BSU
Ohio
Kills
40
50
Errors
12
16
Attempts
109
111
Hitting %
.257
.306
Points
47
58
Assists
31
38
Aces
1
2
Blocks
6
6
Game Leaders
Players Mentioned
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Friday, October 10






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