Friday, October 25
DeKalb, IL
7 p.m.
Ball State University
13-8,6-4MAC
3
at
0
Northern Illinois
3-17,1-9MAC
1
2
3
F
Ball St.
25
25
25
3
NIU
20
13
19
0
Volleyball Soars Past NIU in Straight Sets
October 25, 2024 | Women's Volleyball
DEKALB, Ill. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team turned in another impressive offensive performance Friday evening, turning in a .337 (46-11-104) hitting percentage to earn a 3-0 (25-20, 25-13, 25-19) sweep over Northern Illinois at Victor E. Court.
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It was the Cardinals' (13-8; 6-4 Mid-American Conference) fourth best attacking effort of the season, and the third time the team has hit at least .330 since transitioning to a 6-2 offense five matches ago.
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"Our offensive success has been a combination of many different components and all necessary for our success," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "The 6-2 is definitely a team system and having everyone buying in and doing their part in the system has been huge."
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Overall, the Ball State offense featured the lone two attackers in double figures on the night, with junior opposite Madison Buckley scoring a match-high 12 kills, followed by 10 from freshman outside Carson Tyler. Buckley also boasted the best individual attack percentage among players with double-digit attempts at .550 (12-1-20).
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Next on the offensive front for the Cardinals were redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy, sophomore middle Gwen Crull and graduate middle Aayinde Smith with six kills apiece. Smith would also lead all players with five total blocks, while Crull added four.
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Combined, the Ball State defense tallied 9.0 total blocks for a 3.0 blocks-per-set average to help limit the Huskies (3-17; 1-9 MAC) to a .095 (30-20-105) rate of success.
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"Having a strong blocking presence puts so much more pressure on the opponents and is a big part of our game," Phillips added. "We have a lot of physical players and we are continuing to learn how to execute our system, and that's helping us continue to build."
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A solid backcourt effort also played into the defensive effort, with the Cardinals registering 47 total digs. Leading the way was senior setter Megan Wielonski who collected a team-high 11 digs to go along with a match-best 24 assists for her 63rd career double-double.
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Sophomore setter Lindsey Green also dished out 11 assists on the night, while collecting five digs.
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Meanwhile, Wielonski also served up two of Ball State's four aces, raising her career total to 176 which is 15 shy of the program record of 191 set by Stacy Jordan (1982-85).
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On the Huskies side of the net, Charli Atiemo collected a team-high nine kills, while Crew Hoffmeier was credited with a match-best 13 digs.
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Ball State and Northern Illinois will battle again Saturday afternoon with a 5 p.m. (ET) / 4 p.m. (CT) first serve back at Victor E. Court.
"We're really focusing on the back half of the season being our half," Phillips added. "We have to keep growing and finish each weekend getting better and better if we want to reach our end goals."
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It was the Cardinals' (13-8; 6-4 Mid-American Conference) fourth best attacking effort of the season, and the third time the team has hit at least .330 since transitioning to a 6-2 offense five matches ago.
Â
"Our offensive success has been a combination of many different components and all necessary for our success," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "The 6-2 is definitely a team system and having everyone buying in and doing their part in the system has been huge."
Â
Overall, the Ball State offense featured the lone two attackers in double figures on the night, with junior opposite Madison Buckley scoring a match-high 12 kills, followed by 10 from freshman outside Carson Tyler. Buckley also boasted the best individual attack percentage among players with double-digit attempts at .550 (12-1-20).
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Next on the offensive front for the Cardinals were redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy, sophomore middle Gwen Crull and graduate middle Aayinde Smith with six kills apiece. Smith would also lead all players with five total blocks, while Crull added four.
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Combined, the Ball State defense tallied 9.0 total blocks for a 3.0 blocks-per-set average to help limit the Huskies (3-17; 1-9 MAC) to a .095 (30-20-105) rate of success.
Â
"Having a strong blocking presence puts so much more pressure on the opponents and is a big part of our game," Phillips added. "We have a lot of physical players and we are continuing to learn how to execute our system, and that's helping us continue to build."
Â
A solid backcourt effort also played into the defensive effort, with the Cardinals registering 47 total digs. Leading the way was senior setter Megan Wielonski who collected a team-high 11 digs to go along with a match-best 24 assists for her 63rd career double-double.
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Sophomore setter Lindsey Green also dished out 11 assists on the night, while collecting five digs.
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Meanwhile, Wielonski also served up two of Ball State's four aces, raising her career total to 176 which is 15 shy of the program record of 191 set by Stacy Jordan (1982-85).
Â
On the Huskies side of the net, Charli Atiemo collected a team-high nine kills, while Crew Hoffmeier was credited with a match-best 13 digs.
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Ball State and Northern Illinois will battle again Saturday afternoon with a 5 p.m. (ET) / 4 p.m. (CT) first serve back at Victor E. Court.
"We're really focusing on the back half of the season being our half," Phillips added. "We have to keep growing and finish each weekend getting better and better if we want to reach our end goals."
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Team Stats
BSU
NIU
Kills
46
30
Errors
11
20
Attempts
104
105
Hitting %
.337
.095
Points
59.0
38.0
Assists
43
26
Aces
4
4
Blocks
9
4
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
10
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
MH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's VolleyballMH
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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