Friday, August 27
Green Bay, WI
Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT
Ball State University
1-0,0-0MAC
3
at
1
Green Bay
0-1,0-0Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
11
25
25
25
3
Green Bay
25
20
21
22
1
Photo by: Julia Kostopolous
WVB Opens GBD Invite with Pair of Big Wins
August 27, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
GREEN BAY, Wis. - - While the opening day jitters may have gotten the best of the Ball State women's volleyball team in Friday's opening set, they did not last long.
Â
After dropping the first frame of the GBD Invite, the Cardinals (2-0) finished the day with six dominating set wins to secure a pair of match victories.
Â
BSU hit .361 (84-16-188) over those final six stanzas to score a 3-1 (11-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22) win over Green Bay and a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-13) victory over fledgling NCAA Division I program St. Thomas.
Â
"Our serve receive rally set the tone for our offense today." head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "I thought Megan did a great job of setting a balanced offense, and I thought our hitters were aggressive and played with confidence."
Â
One of those key hitters for Ball State was junior Natalie Mitchem who smashed a team-high 20 total kills on the day: tying for team-high honors with nine versus the Phoenix (0-1) and finishing with a match-high 11 against the Tommies (0-1).
Â
"Mitchem found her grove today and is starting to become a dominant presence for us at the net," Phillips said. "She was hitting a lot of different shots, moving around along the net, and was the steady offensive presence we needed, and will continue to need, all year."
Â
While Mitchem may have had the most kills on the day, it was an overall well-balanced effort for the Cardinals who had five different attackers register at least 10 kills over the two matches: Mitchem (20), sophomore Lauren Gilliland (16), junior Natalie Risi (15), graduate transfer Jaclyn Bulmahn (13) and junior middle Marie Plitt (13).
Â
Plitt led the Cardinals at the net with five total blocks, while Mitchem and freshman setter Megan Wielonski collected four each. In her collegiate debut, Wielonski did a solid job leading the Ball State offense, handing out 60 total assists. She also served up three of BSU's 10 aces over the two matches.
Â
"Megan did a great job for her first collegiate game day," Phillips added. "Our passing allowed her to get in rhythm and then she ran a really balanced offense and played with great confidence as I expected. I thought she located the ball well and our hitters trusted her tempo which allowed our offense to start to flow."
Â
That passing game was bolstered by the play of junior defensive specialist Maggie Huber who recorded a match-best 17 digs in the opener, along with sophomore libero Kate Vinson who led all players with 14 in the nightcap. Vinson finished the day with 28 digs, while Huber collected 22 and Risi added 21. Risi also led BSU's primary passers with a .963 (26-for-27) reception percentage.
"Today was a good first day for the Cardinals," Phillips concluded. "We maintained our composure after a rocky start and played at a high level all day. We're going to enjoy it tonight, reset and prepare for two tough opponents tomorrow."Â
Â
The Ball State women's volleyball team will play two more matches at the GBD Invite Saturday, starting with a Noon ET (11 a.m. CT) contest versus UNI and ending with a 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) first serve against North Dakota State.
Â
Â
After dropping the first frame of the GBD Invite, the Cardinals (2-0) finished the day with six dominating set wins to secure a pair of match victories.
Â
BSU hit .361 (84-16-188) over those final six stanzas to score a 3-1 (11-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22) win over Green Bay and a 3-0 (25-22, 25-10, 25-13) victory over fledgling NCAA Division I program St. Thomas.
Â
"Our serve receive rally set the tone for our offense today." head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "I thought Megan did a great job of setting a balanced offense, and I thought our hitters were aggressive and played with confidence."
Â
One of those key hitters for Ball State was junior Natalie Mitchem who smashed a team-high 20 total kills on the day: tying for team-high honors with nine versus the Phoenix (0-1) and finishing with a match-high 11 against the Tommies (0-1).
Â
"Mitchem found her grove today and is starting to become a dominant presence for us at the net," Phillips said. "She was hitting a lot of different shots, moving around along the net, and was the steady offensive presence we needed, and will continue to need, all year."
Â
While Mitchem may have had the most kills on the day, it was an overall well-balanced effort for the Cardinals who had five different attackers register at least 10 kills over the two matches: Mitchem (20), sophomore Lauren Gilliland (16), junior Natalie Risi (15), graduate transfer Jaclyn Bulmahn (13) and junior middle Marie Plitt (13).
Â
Plitt led the Cardinals at the net with five total blocks, while Mitchem and freshman setter Megan Wielonski collected four each. In her collegiate debut, Wielonski did a solid job leading the Ball State offense, handing out 60 total assists. She also served up three of BSU's 10 aces over the two matches.
Â
"Megan did a great job for her first collegiate game day," Phillips added. "Our passing allowed her to get in rhythm and then she ran a really balanced offense and played with great confidence as I expected. I thought she located the ball well and our hitters trusted her tempo which allowed our offense to start to flow."
Â
That passing game was bolstered by the play of junior defensive specialist Maggie Huber who recorded a match-best 17 digs in the opener, along with sophomore libero Kate Vinson who led all players with 14 in the nightcap. Vinson finished the day with 28 digs, while Huber collected 22 and Risi added 21. Risi also led BSU's primary passers with a .963 (26-for-27) reception percentage.
"Today was a good first day for the Cardinals," Phillips concluded. "We maintained our composure after a rocky start and played at a high level all day. We're going to enjoy it tonight, reset and prepare for two tough opponents tomorrow."Â
Â
The Ball State women's volleyball team will play two more matches at the GBD Invite Saturday, starting with a Noon ET (11 a.m. CT) contest versus UNI and ending with a 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. CT) first serve against North Dakota State.
Â
Team Stats
BSU
GB
Kills
44
53
Errors
18
24
Attempts
128
144
Hitting %
.203
.201
Points
55
70
Assists
39
48
Aces
5
8
Blocks
6
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
7
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS / S
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballWomen's Volleyball // Wise and VanOort Reaction
Monday, September 22
This Week in Ball State Sports // Mike Uremovich, Ally Becki, Qua Ashley & Kelli Miller Phillips
Thursday, September 18
Women's Volleyball // 2025 First Practice Recap
Tuesday, August 05
Ball State Director of Athletics Jeff Mitchell discusses the NCAA vs. House Settlement
Tuesday, July 01