Thursday, October 12
Muncie, IN
6 p.m.
Ball State University
10-8,7-0MAC
3
vs
0
Akron
10-8,5-2MAC
1
2
3
F
Akron
18
14
24
0
Ball St.
25
25
26
3
Photo by: Claire Witte / Ball State Athletics
Eight Straight; Volleyball Sweeps Akron In Thursday #MACtion
October 12, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team used a furious third-set comeback to improve to 7-0 in Mid-American Conference play with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 26-24) victory over Akron Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
"I thought we had a very focused defensive energy about us the entire match," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Even if we had lulls, I didn't feel like they were defensive lulls. We stayed on course, were making hustle plays and that is something I feel is a step up from what we've been doing. I was proud to see that."
After a pair of solid opening sets, the Cardinals (10-8; 7-0 MAC) found themselves trailing 19-10 late into the third against a strong Zips (10-8; 5-2 MAC) squad which entered the day tied atop the MAC East Division.
Cue freshman outside Kendall Barnes who came off the bench to score kills on three of the next five rallies to give Ball State a much-needed spark. Moments later, an ace from sophomore defensive specialist Paige Busick forced Akron's first timeout at 20-15.
Barnes, who finished the match with a career-high five kills and a .714 (5-0-7) hitting percentage, added another marker to cut the lead to four (21-17), while a Ball State block and back-to-back blasts from freshman outside Aniya Kennedy cut the lead to two (22-20). An Akron attack error followed, leading to a second Zips timeout, while junior setter Megan Wielonski and freshman middle Camryn Wise tied the score at 22 with another block.
Kennedy followed with another big kill, giving the Cardinals a brief edge at 23-22, but a kill and an ace from the Zips gave the guests set point. Ball State's comeback would not be denied, however, as a kill from Wielonski and a bad set by the Zips gave BSU match point. Kennedy would then end it with her match-leading 13th kill of the night to up the Cardinals' winning streak to eight matches.
It was a solid effort by the Ball State's passers which help setup the victory, as they held one of the nation's top serving teams to just two aces. Akron entered the night ranked fifth nationally with a 2.30 aces-per-set average and had 159 aces on the year.
Not only that, but the Cardinals finished the night with the advantage from the service line with six aces of its own, including two from fifth-year libero Havyn Gates who also led all players with 18 digs.
"I'm really proud of our service effort, which gave us some points with service aces which really allowed us to build confidence," Phillips added. "It's easy to build momentum when you get points off the serve like that. I credit our servers a lot for starting the charge."
Ball State also continued its solid play at the net, throwing up 9.0 total blocks with five coming from fifth-year middle Marie Plitt, four from sophomore opposite Madison Buckley and three from Wise. Plitt also smashed nine kills and hit .412 (9-2-17), while Wise tied her career high with six kills.
Wielonski led the Ball State offense to a .228 (42-16-114) hitting percentage, dishing out 32 assists to go along with six digs, two kills, two blocks and a service ace.
Faith Johnson led the Akron attack with 10 kills, while Vanessa Del Real collected a team-high 13 digs.
"Our group is continuing to grow and understand that's how the game is played," Phillips concluded. "It's a game of momentum and you have to work to sustain that yourself. It's not going to be given by the crowd or by the opponent. We are slowly but surely getting a little bit better each time out."
Ball State and Akron will battle again Friday night at 6 p.m. for Dig Pink night inside Worthen Arena.
"I thought we had a very focused defensive energy about us the entire match," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Even if we had lulls, I didn't feel like they were defensive lulls. We stayed on course, were making hustle plays and that is something I feel is a step up from what we've been doing. I was proud to see that."
After a pair of solid opening sets, the Cardinals (10-8; 7-0 MAC) found themselves trailing 19-10 late into the third against a strong Zips (10-8; 5-2 MAC) squad which entered the day tied atop the MAC East Division.
Cue freshman outside Kendall Barnes who came off the bench to score kills on three of the next five rallies to give Ball State a much-needed spark. Moments later, an ace from sophomore defensive specialist Paige Busick forced Akron's first timeout at 20-15.
Barnes, who finished the match with a career-high five kills and a .714 (5-0-7) hitting percentage, added another marker to cut the lead to four (21-17), while a Ball State block and back-to-back blasts from freshman outside Aniya Kennedy cut the lead to two (22-20). An Akron attack error followed, leading to a second Zips timeout, while junior setter Megan Wielonski and freshman middle Camryn Wise tied the score at 22 with another block.
Kennedy followed with another big kill, giving the Cardinals a brief edge at 23-22, but a kill and an ace from the Zips gave the guests set point. Ball State's comeback would not be denied, however, as a kill from Wielonski and a bad set by the Zips gave BSU match point. Kennedy would then end it with her match-leading 13th kill of the night to up the Cardinals' winning streak to eight matches.
It was a solid effort by the Ball State's passers which help setup the victory, as they held one of the nation's top serving teams to just two aces. Akron entered the night ranked fifth nationally with a 2.30 aces-per-set average and had 159 aces on the year.
Not only that, but the Cardinals finished the night with the advantage from the service line with six aces of its own, including two from fifth-year libero Havyn Gates who also led all players with 18 digs.
"I'm really proud of our service effort, which gave us some points with service aces which really allowed us to build confidence," Phillips added. "It's easy to build momentum when you get points off the serve like that. I credit our servers a lot for starting the charge."
Ball State also continued its solid play at the net, throwing up 9.0 total blocks with five coming from fifth-year middle Marie Plitt, four from sophomore opposite Madison Buckley and three from Wise. Plitt also smashed nine kills and hit .412 (9-2-17), while Wise tied her career high with six kills.
Wielonski led the Ball State offense to a .228 (42-16-114) hitting percentage, dishing out 32 assists to go along with six digs, two kills, two blocks and a service ace.
Faith Johnson led the Akron attack with 10 kills, while Vanessa Del Real collected a team-high 13 digs.
"Our group is continuing to grow and understand that's how the game is played," Phillips concluded. "It's a game of momentum and you have to work to sustain that yourself. It's not going to be given by the crowd or by the opponent. We are slowly but surely getting a little bit better each time out."
Ball State and Akron will battle again Friday night at 6 p.m. for Dig Pink night inside Worthen Arena.
Team Stats
UA
BSU
Kills
35
42
Errors
18
16
Attempts
114
114
Hitting %
.149
.228
Points
43.0
57.0
Assists
33
36
Aces
2
6
Blocks
6
9
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
1
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ 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