Saturday, October 19
Kent, OH
4 p.m.
Ball State University
12-8,5-4MAC
3
at
0
Kent State
1-17,0-8MAC
1
2
3
F
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
Kent St.
22
20
22
0
Volleyball Sweeps Kent State in Saturday #MACtion
October 19, 2024 | Women's Volleyball
KENT, Ohio - - The Ball State women's volleyball team held off a pair of late rallies Saturday afternoon to earn a pivotal 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-22) Mid-American Conference victory over Kent State at the M.A.C. Center.
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"We have to learn how to close out sets," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We must learn that toughness and find who our go-to players will be in those clutch moments. We are continuing to work through it, and hopefully getting a little better each week."
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With the win, which was capped by junior outside Katie Egenolf's match-best 15th kill, the Cardinals (12-8; 5-4 MAC) moved above .500 in league play for the first time this season as it reached the midway point of the conference season. BSU is now just two matches behind a trio of league teams tied for first at 7-2.
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Battling a Golden Flashes (1-17; 0-8 MAC) squad determined to pick up its first league win of the season, Ball State weathered a four-point run at the end of the opening set and a seven-point run at the end third to secure the victory.
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Both Kent State rallies were ended by kills from Egenolf who led all players with a .462 (15-3-26) attack percentage. The effort followed a career-best 17 kills and a .424 (17-3-33) effort in last night's five-set win at Ohio.
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Egenolf also added a pair of solo blocks, doubling her total on the year, while tying for team-high honors with nine total digs.
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Freshman outside Carson Tyler was right behind on the tally board, collecting 14 kills while hitting .290 (14-5-31). Tyler is currently tied for the team lead at 10 matches with double figure kills this season. The other player is redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy who ranked third on the team in the match with six kills.
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"We had to rely heavily on our pins today," Phillips said. "Luckily, they did a good job of hitting good shots and taking big swings when the opportunity was there."
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Overall, the Ball State offense finished the day connecting at a .229 (44-17-118) clip behind another pair of solid performance from senior setter Megan Wielonski and sophomore setter Lindsey Green. Wielonski led all players with 23 assists, while falling one dig shy of her 64th career double-double with nine digs. Green chipped in 11 assists and five digs.
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In addition, Green tied for team-high honors with three aces as the Cardinals served up a season-high 11 on the day. Junior libero Josie Bloom also served up three aces, while Tyler collected two.Â
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"We have been focusing a ton on service pressure and the importance of not just point scoring, but keeping pressure on opponents," Phillips added. "Serving is such an underrated skill that absolutely sets teams apart."
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Wielonski also added an ace, upping her career total to 174, as did junior defensive specialist Paige Busickand freshman defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling. Overall, the Cardinals held an 11-to-8 edge in aces Saturday.
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On the Kent State side of the net, Mackenzie McGuire collected a team-high 11 kills, served up four aces and tied for match-high honors with 10 digs. Tylee Fuller also added 10 digs for the Golden Flashes.
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Overall, the Ball State defense limited the Kent State attack to 29 kills and a .155 (29-14-97) rate of success.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens a two-match series at Northern Illinois. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on Friday and 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT Saturday on Victor E. Court.
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"We have to learn how to close out sets," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We must learn that toughness and find who our go-to players will be in those clutch moments. We are continuing to work through it, and hopefully getting a little better each week."
Â
With the win, which was capped by junior outside Katie Egenolf's match-best 15th kill, the Cardinals (12-8; 5-4 MAC) moved above .500 in league play for the first time this season as it reached the midway point of the conference season. BSU is now just two matches behind a trio of league teams tied for first at 7-2.
Â
Battling a Golden Flashes (1-17; 0-8 MAC) squad determined to pick up its first league win of the season, Ball State weathered a four-point run at the end of the opening set and a seven-point run at the end third to secure the victory.
Â
Both Kent State rallies were ended by kills from Egenolf who led all players with a .462 (15-3-26) attack percentage. The effort followed a career-best 17 kills and a .424 (17-3-33) effort in last night's five-set win at Ohio.
Â
Egenolf also added a pair of solo blocks, doubling her total on the year, while tying for team-high honors with nine total digs.
Â
Freshman outside Carson Tyler was right behind on the tally board, collecting 14 kills while hitting .290 (14-5-31). Tyler is currently tied for the team lead at 10 matches with double figure kills this season. The other player is redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy who ranked third on the team in the match with six kills.
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"We had to rely heavily on our pins today," Phillips said. "Luckily, they did a good job of hitting good shots and taking big swings when the opportunity was there."
Â
Overall, the Ball State offense finished the day connecting at a .229 (44-17-118) clip behind another pair of solid performance from senior setter Megan Wielonski and sophomore setter Lindsey Green. Wielonski led all players with 23 assists, while falling one dig shy of her 64th career double-double with nine digs. Green chipped in 11 assists and five digs.
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In addition, Green tied for team-high honors with three aces as the Cardinals served up a season-high 11 on the day. Junior libero Josie Bloom also served up three aces, while Tyler collected two.Â
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"We have been focusing a ton on service pressure and the importance of not just point scoring, but keeping pressure on opponents," Phillips added. "Serving is such an underrated skill that absolutely sets teams apart."
Â
Wielonski also added an ace, upping her career total to 174, as did junior defensive specialist Paige Busickand freshman defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling. Overall, the Cardinals held an 11-to-8 edge in aces Saturday.
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On the Kent State side of the net, Mackenzie McGuire collected a team-high 11 kills, served up four aces and tied for match-high honors with 10 digs. Tylee Fuller also added 10 digs for the Golden Flashes.
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Overall, the Ball State defense limited the Kent State attack to 29 kills and a .155 (29-14-97) rate of success.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action Friday, when it opens a two-match series at Northern Illinois. The teams will meet at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT on Friday and 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT Saturday on Victor E. Court.
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Team Stats
BSU
KentSt
Kills
44
29
Errors
17
14
Attempts
118
97
Hitting %
.229
.155
Points
60.0
44.0
Assists
40
26
Aces
11
8
Blocks
5
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
15
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
14
Aces
2
Blocks
0
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
4
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Players Mentioned
DS/L
/ Women's Volleyball
DS/L
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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