Friday, September 8
Dayton, OH
5 p.m.
Ball State University
2-5,0-0MAC
1
vs
3
Wright State
3-5,0-0Horizon
1
2
3
4
F
Wright St.
26
25
29
25
3
Ball St.
24
14
31
18
1
Volleyball Drops Dayton Invite Opener To Wright State
September 08, 2023 | Women's Volleyball
DAYTON, Ohio - - In a battle of NCAA Milwaukee Regional programs from a year ago, the Ball State women's volleyball team fought to win the third set before ultimately suffering a 3-1 (26-24, 25-14, 29-31, 25-18) setback to Wright State Friday night in its opening match of the Dayton Invitational.
Trailing 0-2 and 21-23 in the third frame, the Cardinals (2-5) used back-to-back kills from redshirt freshman outside Aniya Kennedy to even the score. The Raiders (3-5) had three chances to win it, but two kills and a block from sophomore opposite Madison Buckley kept BSU alive.
Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Busick followed the block with a clutch service ace, switching the momentum to the Cardinals side at 27-26. The teams traded points to the 30-29 mark before a monster block from Kennedy gave Ball State the set.
Unfortunately, BSU could not hold onto the momentum, as Wright State jumped out to an 8-3 edge in the fourth. The Cardinals would get as close as one, at 11-10, but could not overcome the early WSU lead.
Kennedy would finish the match with a team-best 14 kills, while Buckley added eight to go along with six total blocks. Senior middle Lauren Gilliland also blasted eight kills, while fifth-year middle Marie Plitt added seven.
Junior setter Megan Wielonski dished out 33 more assists on the night, raising her career total to 2,999. She also led the Ball State backcourt with 20 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Also collecting double-digit digs for the Cardinals were fifth-year libero Havyn Gates and Busick with 15 and 10, respectively.
Overall, the Ball State defense limited Wright State to a .168 hitting percentage and held a 12.0 to 9.0 advantage in total blocks.
On the opposite side of the court, Callie Martin led a quartet of Raiders in double figures with 16 kills, while Jenny Wessling secured a match-best 28 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes play in the Dayton Invitational Saturday with matches versus UIC (11 a.m.) and the host Flyers (7 p.m.).
Trailing 0-2 and 21-23 in the third frame, the Cardinals (2-5) used back-to-back kills from redshirt freshman outside Aniya Kennedy to even the score. The Raiders (3-5) had three chances to win it, but two kills and a block from sophomore opposite Madison Buckley kept BSU alive.
Sophomore defensive specialist Paige Busick followed the block with a clutch service ace, switching the momentum to the Cardinals side at 27-26. The teams traded points to the 30-29 mark before a monster block from Kennedy gave Ball State the set.
Unfortunately, BSU could not hold onto the momentum, as Wright State jumped out to an 8-3 edge in the fourth. The Cardinals would get as close as one, at 11-10, but could not overcome the early WSU lead.
Kennedy would finish the match with a team-best 14 kills, while Buckley added eight to go along with six total blocks. Senior middle Lauren Gilliland also blasted eight kills, while fifth-year middle Marie Plitt added seven.
Junior setter Megan Wielonski dished out 33 more assists on the night, raising her career total to 2,999. She also led the Ball State backcourt with 20 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Also collecting double-digit digs for the Cardinals were fifth-year libero Havyn Gates and Busick with 15 and 10, respectively.
Overall, the Ball State defense limited Wright State to a .168 hitting percentage and held a 12.0 to 9.0 advantage in total blocks.
On the opposite side of the court, Callie Martin led a quartet of Raiders in double figures with 16 kills, while Jenny Wessling secured a match-best 28 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team concludes play in the Dayton Invitational Saturday with matches versus UIC (11 a.m.) and the host Flyers (7 p.m.).
Team Stats
WSU
BSU
Kills
54
50
Errors
26
30
Attempts
167
164
Hitting %
.168
.122
Points
72.0
63.0
Assists
47
42
Aces
9
1
Blocks
9
12
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Kills
8
Aces
0
Blocks
6
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's VolleyballMB
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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