Wednesday, October 19
Toledo, OH
6 p.m.
Ball State University
15-6,7-2MAC
3
at
1
Toledo
13-7,6-3MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ball St.
25
25
22
25
3
Toledo
21
16
25
22
1
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Team Stats
BSU
UT
Kills
54
50
Errors
17
25
Attempts
133
144
Hitting %
.278
.174
Points
70
65
Assists
52
48
Aces
9
9
Blocks
7
6
Game Leaders
Kills
19
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
15
Aces
3
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
1
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH / OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
Photo by: Evan Procaccini
Seven Straight; Volleyball Picks Up Key Road Win at Toledo
October 19, 2022 | Women's Volleyball
TOLEDO, Ohio - - Not only did the Ball State women's volleyball team pick up its seventh straight win Wednesday night in Savage Arena, but it also earned another key Mid-American Conference road victory by topping Toledo 3-1 (25-21, 25-16, 22-25, 25-22).
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 15-6 (7-2 MAC) on the year and take sole possession of the top spot in the league's West Division. After sweeping a two-match road series at then-league-leading Northern Illinois last weekend, Ball State broke a stalemate with the Rockets (13-7; 6-3 MAC) for the top spot in the division with tonight's victory.
"We've played in two tough road environments for the past three matches, and I am proud of our team for hanging tough," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We've done a great job preparing and executing the game plan, which has given us confidence. We still need to work on finishing sets, especially on the road, as you don't want to give anyone in this league extra chances."
Leading the way for the Ball State offense was junior outside Cait Snyder who blasted a career-high 19 kills and hit .342 (19-3-38). It was her fourth time in double figures in the last five matches, and the third time she has registered a career-high kill total in the span.
"Cait has been working hard in practice to not only hit more of a variety of shots, but to also make better decisions on the shots she is hitting," Phillips said. "It's really paid off. She's getting more and more consistent, which is helping us tremendously."
Right behind Snyder was senior outside Natalie Risi, who scored 15 kills and kept the pressure on from the service line by tying for match-high honors with three aces. She also tied for the match lead with 18 total service attempts and earned a perfect reception percentage on 19 attempts.
Rounding out a trio of Cardinals in double figures was senior middle Marie Plitt with 10 kills on a .500 (10-1-18) attack percentage. Putting it all together was sophomore setter Megan Wielonski who dished out 47 assists and ran the offense at a .278 (54-17-133) clip. She also served up an ace and added eight digs.
As solid as Ball State was on offense, it was BSU's defense which set the tone by extending rallies and forcing Toledo into numerous errors. The Rockets finished the match hitting just .174 (50-25-144).
"Our defense was locked in, as we knew Toledo had a ton of offensive options," Phillips added. "I thought our blocking discipline early really set the tone and allowed our defenders to get into rhythm."
Pacing the backcourt effort was senior libero Maggie Huber with a team-high 17 digs. She was also perfect in reception on 18 attempts. Senior defensive specialist Havyn Gates added 13 digs and another perfect reception percentage on 18 attempts. As a team, BSU also added seven total blocks, including six solo stuffs.
In the opening set, the Cardinals trailed 12-11, before going on six-point run to take the momentum. Toledo would get no closer than three points the rest of the way, as kills from Risi on two of the final three points gave Ball State the set at 25-21.
The Cardinals started the second set with five of the first six, and never looked back. A pair of Toledo errors extended the edge to seven points, at 17-10, while BSU went on to win the frame 25-16 thanks to a kill from Snyder.
The third saw the Rockets clinging to a 17-16 lead before kills from Snyder and senior opposite Natalie Mitchem forced a UT timeout. BSU added the next two points out of the break and went on to pull ahead 21-18 on a kill from junior middle Lauren Gilliland. Unfortunately, Toledo scored the next six points and won the frame 25-22.
The Rockets scored the first three points in the fourth, only to have BSU answer with five of the next six. Snyder pushed BSU's lead to 12-8 with back-to-back blasts, while a marker from Risi made the score 19-13. UT would ultimately battle back within two, at 24-22, but Mitchem's seventh kill of the night gave BSU another big road win.
Taylor Alt led the Rockets with 15 kills, while Rhyenne Filisi added 10. Ryann Jaqua led all players with a match-best 20 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it welcomes Western Michigan to Worthen Arena for a 6 p.m. first serve.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 15-6 (7-2 MAC) on the year and take sole possession of the top spot in the league's West Division. After sweeping a two-match road series at then-league-leading Northern Illinois last weekend, Ball State broke a stalemate with the Rockets (13-7; 6-3 MAC) for the top spot in the division with tonight's victory.
"We've played in two tough road environments for the past three matches, and I am proud of our team for hanging tough," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We've done a great job preparing and executing the game plan, which has given us confidence. We still need to work on finishing sets, especially on the road, as you don't want to give anyone in this league extra chances."
Leading the way for the Ball State offense was junior outside Cait Snyder who blasted a career-high 19 kills and hit .342 (19-3-38). It was her fourth time in double figures in the last five matches, and the third time she has registered a career-high kill total in the span.
"Cait has been working hard in practice to not only hit more of a variety of shots, but to also make better decisions on the shots she is hitting," Phillips said. "It's really paid off. She's getting more and more consistent, which is helping us tremendously."
Right behind Snyder was senior outside Natalie Risi, who scored 15 kills and kept the pressure on from the service line by tying for match-high honors with three aces. She also tied for the match lead with 18 total service attempts and earned a perfect reception percentage on 19 attempts.
Rounding out a trio of Cardinals in double figures was senior middle Marie Plitt with 10 kills on a .500 (10-1-18) attack percentage. Putting it all together was sophomore setter Megan Wielonski who dished out 47 assists and ran the offense at a .278 (54-17-133) clip. She also served up an ace and added eight digs.
As solid as Ball State was on offense, it was BSU's defense which set the tone by extending rallies and forcing Toledo into numerous errors. The Rockets finished the match hitting just .174 (50-25-144).
"Our defense was locked in, as we knew Toledo had a ton of offensive options," Phillips added. "I thought our blocking discipline early really set the tone and allowed our defenders to get into rhythm."
Pacing the backcourt effort was senior libero Maggie Huber with a team-high 17 digs. She was also perfect in reception on 18 attempts. Senior defensive specialist Havyn Gates added 13 digs and another perfect reception percentage on 18 attempts. As a team, BSU also added seven total blocks, including six solo stuffs.
In the opening set, the Cardinals trailed 12-11, before going on six-point run to take the momentum. Toledo would get no closer than three points the rest of the way, as kills from Risi on two of the final three points gave Ball State the set at 25-21.
The Cardinals started the second set with five of the first six, and never looked back. A pair of Toledo errors extended the edge to seven points, at 17-10, while BSU went on to win the frame 25-16 thanks to a kill from Snyder.
The third saw the Rockets clinging to a 17-16 lead before kills from Snyder and senior opposite Natalie Mitchem forced a UT timeout. BSU added the next two points out of the break and went on to pull ahead 21-18 on a kill from junior middle Lauren Gilliland. Unfortunately, Toledo scored the next six points and won the frame 25-22.
The Rockets scored the first three points in the fourth, only to have BSU answer with five of the next six. Snyder pushed BSU's lead to 12-8 with back-to-back blasts, while a marker from Risi made the score 19-13. UT would ultimately battle back within two, at 24-22, but Mitchem's seventh kill of the night gave BSU another big road win.
Taylor Alt led the Rockets with 15 kills, while Rhyenne Filisi added 10. Ryann Jaqua led all players with a match-best 20 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it welcomes Western Michigan to Worthen Arena for a 6 p.m. first serve.
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