Saturday, October 28
Muncie, IN
4 p.m.
Ball State University
14-10,11-2MAC
3
vs
1
Ohio
13-12,8-5MAC
1
2
3
4
F
Ohio
22
25
19
18
1
Ball St.
25
22
25
25
3
Nothing Spooky About Volleyball’s 3-1 Win Over Ohio
October 28, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team celebrated Chirp or Treat in style, finishing off a candy filled afternoon with a 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-19, 25-18) victory over Ohio Saturday inside Worthen Arena.
With a majority of its sporting teams on hand to pass out treats prior to the match thanks to the Ball State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Cardinals (14-10; 11-2 Mid-American Conference) used the sugar rush to hit a blistering .531 (20-3-32) in the opening set.
While Ball State's offense cooled down a little, the team finished the day connecting at a .329 (62-16-140) clip with three different attackers boasting double-digit kills. Leading the way was redshirt freshman outside Aniya Kennedy with 17 markers and a .286 (17-5-42) rate of success.
"Over the last few matches, we really struck a balance on offense," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We're distributing better to more hitters, getting everyone involved, which allows us to have more one-on-one offensive looks to be able to score. Our ball control has continued to improve as well, allowing us to be able to set a more balanced offense. Megan is also doing a great job distributing, finding the right hitters at the right moments."
Speaking of junior setter Megan Wielonski, she handed out 51 more assists against the Bobcats (13-12; 8-5 MAC) and fell one dig shy of a double-double with nine digs. She also scored four kills and served up one of Ball State's three aces.
Back on offense, sophomore opposite Madison Buckley added 13 kills and hit .417 (13-3-24), while fifth-year middle Marie Plitt scored 12 kills and connected for a .370 (12-2-27) rate of success. Throw in a career-high eight kills from freshman outside Kendall Barnes and six for freshman middle Camryn Wise and it was a solid all-around night for BSU's attackers.
In the backcourt, junior defensive specialist Kendall Seimet led a trio of defenders in double figures with 17 digs, while also serving up an ace.
"Kendall Seimet is staying confident, staying the course," Phillips said about the night's top digger. "She's not overthinking things, staying disciplined and has a great first step on the ball. Our block is doing a great job funneling the ball to her and she's playing her role well."
Joining Seimet in double figures were fifth-year libero Havyn Gates with 15 and sophomore defensive specialist Josie Bloom with 10.
For the Bobcats, Anna Kharchynska and Caroline Clippard tied for team-high honors with 15 kills apiece, while Sam Steele collected a match-best 18 digs.
Up next, the Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road for a showdown with league-leading Western Michigan. The Cardinals and Broncos will battle at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at WMU's University Arena.
"It's going to be a fun one," Phillips said about the weekend ahead at Western Michigan. "We know we are going to have to play really well. They are an experienced team and strong across every position. It will be a great challenge for us to see where we are."
With a majority of its sporting teams on hand to pass out treats prior to the match thanks to the Ball State Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, the Cardinals (14-10; 11-2 Mid-American Conference) used the sugar rush to hit a blistering .531 (20-3-32) in the opening set.
While Ball State's offense cooled down a little, the team finished the day connecting at a .329 (62-16-140) clip with three different attackers boasting double-digit kills. Leading the way was redshirt freshman outside Aniya Kennedy with 17 markers and a .286 (17-5-42) rate of success.
"Over the last few matches, we really struck a balance on offense," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We're distributing better to more hitters, getting everyone involved, which allows us to have more one-on-one offensive looks to be able to score. Our ball control has continued to improve as well, allowing us to be able to set a more balanced offense. Megan is also doing a great job distributing, finding the right hitters at the right moments."
Speaking of junior setter Megan Wielonski, she handed out 51 more assists against the Bobcats (13-12; 8-5 MAC) and fell one dig shy of a double-double with nine digs. She also scored four kills and served up one of Ball State's three aces.
Back on offense, sophomore opposite Madison Buckley added 13 kills and hit .417 (13-3-24), while fifth-year middle Marie Plitt scored 12 kills and connected for a .370 (12-2-27) rate of success. Throw in a career-high eight kills from freshman outside Kendall Barnes and six for freshman middle Camryn Wise and it was a solid all-around night for BSU's attackers.
In the backcourt, junior defensive specialist Kendall Seimet led a trio of defenders in double figures with 17 digs, while also serving up an ace.
"Kendall Seimet is staying confident, staying the course," Phillips said about the night's top digger. "She's not overthinking things, staying disciplined and has a great first step on the ball. Our block is doing a great job funneling the ball to her and she's playing her role well."
Joining Seimet in double figures were fifth-year libero Havyn Gates with 15 and sophomore defensive specialist Josie Bloom with 10.
For the Bobcats, Anna Kharchynska and Caroline Clippard tied for team-high honors with 15 kills apiece, while Sam Steele collected a match-best 18 digs.
Up next, the Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road for a showdown with league-leading Western Michigan. The Cardinals and Broncos will battle at 6 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at WMU's University Arena.
"It's going to be a fun one," Phillips said about the weekend ahead at Western Michigan. "We know we are going to have to play really well. They are an experienced team and strong across every position. It will be a great challenge for us to see where we are."
.png&width=84&height=84&quality=100&type=webp)
Team Stats
Ohio
BSU
Kills
61
62
Errors
27
16
Attempts
159
140
Hitting %
.214
.329
Points
72.0
75.0
Assists
58
57
Aces
4
3
Blocks
7
10
Game Leaders
Kills
17
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
13
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's VolleyballWomen's Volleyball // Midweek Hype Video
Friday, October 10
This Week in Ball State Sports Podcast // Mike Uremovich, Lindsey Green & Jeff Mitchell
Thursday, October 09
Women'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