Saturday, September 3
Nashville, TN
4 p.m.
Ball State University
5-1,0-0MAC
0
vs
3
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Mississippi State
5-0,0-0SEC
1
2
3
F
Mississippi St.
30
25
25
3
Ball St.
28
16
18
0
Team Stats
MSU
BSU
Kills
55
32
Errors
18
15
Attempts
133
100
Hitting %
.278
.170
Points
69
42
Assists
53
27
Aces
5
3
Blocks
9
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
3
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
Photo by: Bobby Ellis (Ball State Creative Services)
WVB Falls Short in Showdown with Mississippi State
September 03, 2022 | Women's Volleyball
NASHVILLE - - After dropping the opening set in extra points, the Ball State women's volleyball team was never able to find its rhythm in a 3-0 (30-28, 25-16, 25-18) setback to Mississippi State Saturday afternoon in Allen Arena.
"We didn't come ready to play today and had to learn the hard way what happens with that approach against a tough and talented Mississippi State team," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We have to win our strengths which are serving, passing, and defense. Unfortunately, we struggled in all those areas today."Â
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Looking to pick up its second consecutive pre-conference tournament sweep, the Cardinals (5-1) fell short to a Bulldogs (6-0) squad which entered the afternoon with some solid momentum. MSU fell behind 2-0 in its first match of the day against Oklahoma, only to pull off a reverse sweep.
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In a battle of two of just 45 remaining undefeated NCAA Division I teams entering the day, Ball State looked to have the upper hand early with a 20-16 edge in the opening set. Unfortunately, Mississippi State, who like the Cardinals are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, battled back to win the set and ultimately the match.
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Junior Lauren Gilliland completed arguably the best weekend of her career with a team-high 13 kills and hit .393 (13-2-28) to lead the Cardinals on the day. That's after a career-high 17 kills in Friday's win over Oklahoma and seven more in the win at Lipscomb.
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"Lauren is a presence for us," Phillips said. "She demands the ball and just keeps finding ways to score. Her competitiveness stood out, and she's someone we can count on in big moments."
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Overall, Gilliland led the Ball State offense with 37 kills and a .440 (37-4-75) attack percentage over the team's three matches in the LUV Invitational.Â
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Unfortunately for Ball State, no one else on the squad was able to get more than three kills and the Bulldogs limited the Cardinals to season-lows of 32 kills and a .170 (32-15-100) attack percentage.
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On the defensive end, senior libero Maggie Huber collected a match-high 19 digs, while senior outside attacker Natalie Risi scored 10.
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Sophomore setter Megan Wielonski fell just shy of a double-double with 25 assists and nine digs. She also served up two more aces, upping her weekend total to six and her season total to 13.
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Leading the way for Mississippi State were Lauren Myrick and Gabby Waden with 18 and 17 kills, respectively. As a team, the Bulldogs finished the match with a .278 (55-18-133) rate of success, while holding a 9.0-to-7.0 advantage in total blocks.
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"We had moments of really good volleyball this weekend where you could see our potential," Phillips concluded. "Now, we have to train and be able to maintain and compete at that level every time we step on the court. If we do that, we will have a really fun season."
Â
After playing the first two weekends on the road, the Ball State women's volleyball team opens the home portion of its 2022 schedule Friday with matches versus Arkansas State (10 a.m.) and Alabama (7 p.m.) as part of the Ball State Tournament.
"We didn't come ready to play today and had to learn the hard way what happens with that approach against a tough and talented Mississippi State team," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We have to win our strengths which are serving, passing, and defense. Unfortunately, we struggled in all those areas today."Â
Â
Looking to pick up its second consecutive pre-conference tournament sweep, the Cardinals (5-1) fell short to a Bulldogs (6-0) squad which entered the afternoon with some solid momentum. MSU fell behind 2-0 in its first match of the day against Oklahoma, only to pull off a reverse sweep.
Â
In a battle of two of just 45 remaining undefeated NCAA Division I teams entering the day, Ball State looked to have the upper hand early with a 20-16 edge in the opening set. Unfortunately, Mississippi State, who like the Cardinals are receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, battled back to win the set and ultimately the match.
Â
Junior Lauren Gilliland completed arguably the best weekend of her career with a team-high 13 kills and hit .393 (13-2-28) to lead the Cardinals on the day. That's after a career-high 17 kills in Friday's win over Oklahoma and seven more in the win at Lipscomb.
Â
"Lauren is a presence for us," Phillips said. "She demands the ball and just keeps finding ways to score. Her competitiveness stood out, and she's someone we can count on in big moments."
Â
Overall, Gilliland led the Ball State offense with 37 kills and a .440 (37-4-75) attack percentage over the team's three matches in the LUV Invitational.Â
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Unfortunately for Ball State, no one else on the squad was able to get more than three kills and the Bulldogs limited the Cardinals to season-lows of 32 kills and a .170 (32-15-100) attack percentage.
Â
On the defensive end, senior libero Maggie Huber collected a match-high 19 digs, while senior outside attacker Natalie Risi scored 10.
Â
Sophomore setter Megan Wielonski fell just shy of a double-double with 25 assists and nine digs. She also served up two more aces, upping her weekend total to six and her season total to 13.
Â
Leading the way for Mississippi State were Lauren Myrick and Gabby Waden with 18 and 17 kills, respectively. As a team, the Bulldogs finished the match with a .278 (55-18-133) rate of success, while holding a 9.0-to-7.0 advantage in total blocks.
Â
"We had moments of really good volleyball this weekend where you could see our potential," Phillips concluded. "Now, we have to train and be able to maintain and compete at that level every time we step on the court. If we do that, we will have a really fun season."
Â
After playing the first two weekends on the road, the Ball State women's volleyball team opens the home portion of its 2022 schedule Friday with matches versus Arkansas State (10 a.m.) and Alabama (7 p.m.) as part of the Ball State Tournament.
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