Thursday, September 30
Muncie, IN
6:30 p.m.
Ball State University
12-3,2-1MAC
3
vs
2
Ohio
1-13,1-2MAC
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ohio
19
25
25
20
14
2
Ball St.
25
22
20
25
16
3
Photo by: Julia Kostopolous
Wielonski Serves Up Ohio in Five-Set Thriller
September 30, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Trailing 14-12 in the fifth set, the Ball State women's volleyball team received a clutch kill from junior middle Marie Plitt to regain the serve late in Thursday's Mid-American Conference home opener versus Ohio.
Even better, the kill sent freshman setter Megan Wielonski back to the line in an attempt to serve up history for the Cardinals (12-3; 2-1 MAC). While she was not able to record a program record tying eighth ace, finishing the night one shy with seven, Wielonski was able to serve out the match and give Ball State a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 25-20, 16-14) victory over the Bobcats (1-13; 1-2 MAC).
"Megan's service pressure was huge for us tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "She consistently puts pressure on opponents, and we really needed that tonight."
Already one of the nation's top servers entering the match, ranking 31st among all NCAA Division I players with 23 aces, Wielonski served up seven more in the win over Ohio to give herself an even 30 on the year. The seven aces are the most in a match for a Ball State student-athlete since the 1993 season when Hall of Famer Sharon Knecht registered seven in a 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois on Nov. 6.
Five players have served up eight aces in a match for the Cardinals, with the last to do so being another Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee: Stefanie Decker versus Houston on Sept. 15, 1991.
In addition to her solid play from behind the service line, Wielonski once again ran the offense at an elite level as the Cardinals hit .285 (60-15-158) in the win. Four different BSU players finished the night with double-digit kills, led by sophomore middle Lauren Gilliland.
Gilliland also led all attackers with a .591 hitting mark, smashing 13 kills on 22 swings with no errors. Following right behind Gilliland in attack percentage was Wielonski at .583 (7-0-12) on the strength of her career-high seven kills.
Overall, it was another strong team effort for Ball State which was able to rally from down 2-1 and survive a pair of Bobcats match points in the fifth set.
"In the end, we stayed tough and battled even though we were down 14-12," Phillips said. "We just stayed the course and showed tremendous poise and mental toughness. Ohio was unbelievable defensively, and their two left sides seemed to just score at will. However, we were able to find our rhythm right there at the end and toughed it out to earn a hard-fought win."
In addition to her kill to send Wielonski back to the service line late in the match, Plitt sealed the victory with her second solo block of contest. In all, Plitt scored 12 kills and three total blocks.
Also finishing the match with double-digit kills for Ball State were graduate transfer outsides Jaclyn Bulmahn and Emily Hollowell with 11 apiece.
In the backcourt, junior libero Natalie Risi led the Cardinals with 19 digs, while Wielonski chipped in 13 to go along with her 43 assists for her ninth double-double of the season.
Ohio's Caroline Clippard led all players with 22 kills, while Olivia Margolies added 18. Bobcats libero Sam Steele finished the night with a match-high 28 digs. Ohio finished the night hitting .308 (73-24-159) as a team, while out-digging Ball State 68-to-56.
To follow up tonight's five-set thriller, the teams will do battle for a second consecutive evening Friday with another 6:30 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
Even better, the kill sent freshman setter Megan Wielonski back to the line in an attempt to serve up history for the Cardinals (12-3; 2-1 MAC). While she was not able to record a program record tying eighth ace, finishing the night one shy with seven, Wielonski was able to serve out the match and give Ball State a 3-2 (25-19, 22-25, 20-25, 25-20, 16-14) victory over the Bobcats (1-13; 1-2 MAC).
"Megan's service pressure was huge for us tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "She consistently puts pressure on opponents, and we really needed that tonight."
Already one of the nation's top servers entering the match, ranking 31st among all NCAA Division I players with 23 aces, Wielonski served up seven more in the win over Ohio to give herself an even 30 on the year. The seven aces are the most in a match for a Ball State student-athlete since the 1993 season when Hall of Famer Sharon Knecht registered seven in a 3-0 sweep of Western Illinois on Nov. 6.
Five players have served up eight aces in a match for the Cardinals, with the last to do so being another Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee: Stefanie Decker versus Houston on Sept. 15, 1991.
In addition to her solid play from behind the service line, Wielonski once again ran the offense at an elite level as the Cardinals hit .285 (60-15-158) in the win. Four different BSU players finished the night with double-digit kills, led by sophomore middle Lauren Gilliland.
Gilliland also led all attackers with a .591 hitting mark, smashing 13 kills on 22 swings with no errors. Following right behind Gilliland in attack percentage was Wielonski at .583 (7-0-12) on the strength of her career-high seven kills.
Overall, it was another strong team effort for Ball State which was able to rally from down 2-1 and survive a pair of Bobcats match points in the fifth set.
"In the end, we stayed tough and battled even though we were down 14-12," Phillips said. "We just stayed the course and showed tremendous poise and mental toughness. Ohio was unbelievable defensively, and their two left sides seemed to just score at will. However, we were able to find our rhythm right there at the end and toughed it out to earn a hard-fought win."
In addition to her kill to send Wielonski back to the service line late in the match, Plitt sealed the victory with her second solo block of contest. In all, Plitt scored 12 kills and three total blocks.
Also finishing the match with double-digit kills for Ball State were graduate transfer outsides Jaclyn Bulmahn and Emily Hollowell with 11 apiece.
In the backcourt, junior libero Natalie Risi led the Cardinals with 19 digs, while Wielonski chipped in 13 to go along with her 43 assists for her ninth double-double of the season.
Ohio's Caroline Clippard led all players with 22 kills, while Olivia Margolies added 18. Bobcats libero Sam Steele finished the night with a match-high 28 digs. Ohio finished the night hitting .308 (73-24-159) as a team, while out-digging Ball State 68-to-56.
To follow up tonight's five-set thriller, the teams will do battle for a second consecutive evening Friday with another 6:30 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
Team Stats
Ohio
BSU
Kills
73
60
Errors
24
15
Attempts
159
158
Hitting %
.308
.285
Points
86
78
Assists
69
52
Aces
6
11
Blocks
7
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
11
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballOH / OPP
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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