Saturday, August 28
Green Bay, WI
Noon ET / 11 a.m. CT
Ball State University
3-0,0-0MAC
3
vs
1
Northern Iowa
1-1,0-0MVC
1
2
3
4
F
UNI
16
25
20
23
1
Ball St.
25
20
25
25
3
Photo by: Julia Kostopolous
WVB Claims GBD Invite Crown with Pair of Saturday Wins
August 28, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
GREEN BAY, Wis. - - It was not easy, but the Ball State women's volleyball team did not buckle under the pressure Saturday, earning a pair of wins to claim the GBD Invite title.
The Cardinals (4-0) opened the day with a 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23) victory over Northern Iowa, rallying from down late in the finals two sets to pull out its first win.
Ball State concluded the tournament with another hard-fought win, rallying from down late in the opening two sets to sweep North Dakota State by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17).
"I was happy with our mental toughness, as well as our ability to stay composed and take points one at a time while we battled back late in several sets," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Our service pressure really helped us in those moments, but we must work to not consistently put ourselves in that position."
Leading the way for the Cardinals on offense in Saturday's wins was graduate transfer Jaclyn Bulmahn who smashed a season-high 14 kills versus the Panthers (1-1) and followed with 13 against the Bison (1-2).
"Jaclyn was really cracking the ball today," Phillips said. "She and Megan have found their rhythm and she's playing with a lot of confidence, as she should. She's an experienced player who works extremely hard, plays smart, and gets great results."
Freshman setter Megan Wielonski also had another solid all-around day, setting the offense to a .206 (87-39-233) attack percentage over the two matches. She was credited with five total kills, 10 digs, and six total blocks. She also came up big from the service line with six total aces, including a career-high five in the opener.
Other key contributors on offense were junior opposite Natalie Mitchem with 13 kills versus UNI and junior middle Marie Plitt with 12 kills against NDSU.
Defensively, Plitt scored eight blocks in the first match and four in the nightcap for 12 on the day. Sophomore libero Kate Vinson held down the backcourt with 28 total digs: 13 against the Panthers and 15 versus NDSU.
By sweeping its four matches in the GBD Invite, the Cardinals are off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season.
"It was a great start for us this weekend," Phillips added. "There was a lot of great competition here that really challenged us set after set. We found several things we did well, but also several areas we have to improve upon, which is what we needed from this trip. Our depth really was huge this weekend and that's a credit to each player being 100% ready when their number was called. I'm most proud of that; a full team effort by the Cardinals this weekend."
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday (Sept. 3), when it opens play in the TRU By Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational with a 7 p.m. showdown versus tournament host Wright State. The Cardinals will also play DePaul (10 a.m.) and Marshall (5 p.m.) on Saturday (Sept. 4).
RECAP: Ball State 3 - UNI 1
After a 25-16 first-set win for Ball State in Saturday's opener, late set comebacks were the name of the game versus UNI. Unfortunately, it started with one from the Panthers (1-1) who rallied from down 17-13 to tie the score at 17 and win the second set 25-20.
With the match tied at one set apiece, it looked the Panthers were going to take a 2-1 edge as they pulled ahead 19-15 late in the third. The Cardinals had other plans, however, as a kill from Bulmahn and a pair of service aces from Wielonski helped Ball State end the frame on a 10-1 run. Graduate transfer opposite Emily Hollowell put an exclamation on the set win with a solo block to cap the scoring.
The fourth set looked very similar to the third, with UNI pulling head by six at the 20-14 mark. However, Ball State was able to once again storm back, this time tying the set at 23-23. Mitchem would give BSU match-point with her 13th kill of the afternoon, while junior outside Natalie Risi secured the victory with her third kill of the contest.
Bulmahn would pace the Ball State offense with 14 kills and a .444 (14-2-27) attack percentage, while Mitchem was not far behind with 13 kills and a .407 (13-2-12) rate of success.
Those were some of the best attacking numbers of the match, however, as the teams combined for 28.5 total blocks over the four sets. Leading the effort at the net for Ball State was Plitt who factored in eight of BSU's 14.5 blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
The play at the net left digging at a premium, but Ball State's Vinson was able to pace all players with 13 digs. It was her fourth consecutive match in double figures dating back to last season.
BSU's 11 aces also played a large factor in the win, with a career-high five coming from Wielonski in just her third collegiate match. Risi added three more, while Plitt had two and sophomore middle Lauren Gilliland served up one.
RECAP: Ball State 3 - North Dakota State 0
Saturday's nightcap was another tough battle for the Cardinals, who rallied from down late in each of the opening two sets.
In the opening frame, the Cardinals trailed 20-17 before securing four of the next five to tie the score at 21. The set remained tied at 23-23 before a NDSU service error and a Mitchem kill gave the Cardinals a 25-23 win.
Ball State found itself down 19-16 in the second frame, only to score nine of the final 10 points to win the set 25-20. A pair of late service aces from junior transfer Havyn Gates set up a set-winning solo block from Wielonski.
The teams would play to a 15-15 stalemate in the third set before a Mitchem kill and a service ace from Gilliland gave BSU all the momentum. Ball State went on to win the frame 25-17 on a Wielonski smash to the court.
Overall, Bulmahn led the Cardinals for the second straight match with 13 kills, while Plitt was not far behind with 12. Led by the strong setting of Wielonski, Ball State connected for a .259 (43-14-112) attack percentage, including an impressive .667 (12-0-18) from Plitt.
Ball State continued its strong play at the net, adding eight more total blocks led by four apiece from Plitt and Wielonski.
BSU also secured 47 total digs in the contest, paced by 15 from Vinson and 11 by Risi. It was Vinson's fifth consecutive match in double figures.
The Cardinals (4-0) opened the day with a 3-1 (25-16, 20-25, 25-20, 25-23) victory over Northern Iowa, rallying from down late in the finals two sets to pull out its first win.
Ball State concluded the tournament with another hard-fought win, rallying from down late in the opening two sets to sweep North Dakota State by a score of 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-17).
"I was happy with our mental toughness, as well as our ability to stay composed and take points one at a time while we battled back late in several sets," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Our service pressure really helped us in those moments, but we must work to not consistently put ourselves in that position."
Leading the way for the Cardinals on offense in Saturday's wins was graduate transfer Jaclyn Bulmahn who smashed a season-high 14 kills versus the Panthers (1-1) and followed with 13 against the Bison (1-2).
"Jaclyn was really cracking the ball today," Phillips said. "She and Megan have found their rhythm and she's playing with a lot of confidence, as she should. She's an experienced player who works extremely hard, plays smart, and gets great results."
Freshman setter Megan Wielonski also had another solid all-around day, setting the offense to a .206 (87-39-233) attack percentage over the two matches. She was credited with five total kills, 10 digs, and six total blocks. She also came up big from the service line with six total aces, including a career-high five in the opener.
Other key contributors on offense were junior opposite Natalie Mitchem with 13 kills versus UNI and junior middle Marie Plitt with 12 kills against NDSU.
Defensively, Plitt scored eight blocks in the first match and four in the nightcap for 12 on the day. Sophomore libero Kate Vinson held down the backcourt with 28 total digs: 13 against the Panthers and 15 versus NDSU.
By sweeping its four matches in the GBD Invite, the Cardinals are off to a 4-0 start for the second consecutive season.
"It was a great start for us this weekend," Phillips added. "There was a lot of great competition here that really challenged us set after set. We found several things we did well, but also several areas we have to improve upon, which is what we needed from this trip. Our depth really was huge this weekend and that's a credit to each player being 100% ready when their number was called. I'm most proud of that; a full team effort by the Cardinals this weekend."
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday (Sept. 3), when it opens play in the TRU By Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational with a 7 p.m. showdown versus tournament host Wright State. The Cardinals will also play DePaul (10 a.m.) and Marshall (5 p.m.) on Saturday (Sept. 4).
RECAP: Ball State 3 - UNI 1
After a 25-16 first-set win for Ball State in Saturday's opener, late set comebacks were the name of the game versus UNI. Unfortunately, it started with one from the Panthers (1-1) who rallied from down 17-13 to tie the score at 17 and win the second set 25-20.
With the match tied at one set apiece, it looked the Panthers were going to take a 2-1 edge as they pulled ahead 19-15 late in the third. The Cardinals had other plans, however, as a kill from Bulmahn and a pair of service aces from Wielonski helped Ball State end the frame on a 10-1 run. Graduate transfer opposite Emily Hollowell put an exclamation on the set win with a solo block to cap the scoring.
The fourth set looked very similar to the third, with UNI pulling head by six at the 20-14 mark. However, Ball State was able to once again storm back, this time tying the set at 23-23. Mitchem would give BSU match-point with her 13th kill of the afternoon, while junior outside Natalie Risi secured the victory with her third kill of the contest.
Bulmahn would pace the Ball State offense with 14 kills and a .444 (14-2-27) attack percentage, while Mitchem was not far behind with 13 kills and a .407 (13-2-12) rate of success.
Those were some of the best attacking numbers of the match, however, as the teams combined for 28.5 total blocks over the four sets. Leading the effort at the net for Ball State was Plitt who factored in eight of BSU's 14.5 blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs.
The play at the net left digging at a premium, but Ball State's Vinson was able to pace all players with 13 digs. It was her fourth consecutive match in double figures dating back to last season.
BSU's 11 aces also played a large factor in the win, with a career-high five coming from Wielonski in just her third collegiate match. Risi added three more, while Plitt had two and sophomore middle Lauren Gilliland served up one.
RECAP: Ball State 3 - North Dakota State 0
Saturday's nightcap was another tough battle for the Cardinals, who rallied from down late in each of the opening two sets.
In the opening frame, the Cardinals trailed 20-17 before securing four of the next five to tie the score at 21. The set remained tied at 23-23 before a NDSU service error and a Mitchem kill gave the Cardinals a 25-23 win.
Ball State found itself down 19-16 in the second frame, only to score nine of the final 10 points to win the set 25-20. A pair of late service aces from junior transfer Havyn Gates set up a set-winning solo block from Wielonski.
The teams would play to a 15-15 stalemate in the third set before a Mitchem kill and a service ace from Gilliland gave BSU all the momentum. Ball State went on to win the frame 25-17 on a Wielonski smash to the court.
Overall, Bulmahn led the Cardinals for the second straight match with 13 kills, while Plitt was not far behind with 12. Led by the strong setting of Wielonski, Ball State connected for a .259 (43-14-112) attack percentage, including an impressive .667 (12-0-18) from Plitt.
Ball State continued its strong play at the net, adding eight more total blocks led by four apiece from Plitt and Wielonski.
BSU also secured 47 total digs in the contest, paced by 15 from Vinson and 11 by Risi. It was Vinson's fifth consecutive match in double figures.
Team Stats
UNI
BSU
Kills
44
43
Errors
25
21
Attempts
121
110
Hitting %
.157
.200
Points
64
68.5
Assists
40
41
Aces
6
11
Blocks
14
14.5
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
5
Aces
2
Blocks
8
Kills
4
Aces
5
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS / S
/ Women's VolleyballS
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