Saturday, September 7
Lexington, KY
5 p.m.
Ball State University
3-2,0-0MAC
0
vs
3
Penn State
5-0,0-0Big Ten
1
2
3
F
Penn St.
25
25
25
3
Ball St.
22
21
21
0
Photo by: Brayden Goins / Ball State Athletics
Volleyball Hangs Tough Against No. 7 Penn State
September 07, 2024 | Women's Volleyball
LEXINGTON, Ky. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team fell just 11 points short to one of the nation's top programs Saturday afternoon, suffering a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21) setback to No. 7 Penn State in its second match of the Kentucky Invitational.
"We played hard against a very talented Penn State squad, we just couldn't get over the hump," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Carson and Sophie were solid in their ball control which really stapled our back court and helped generate some great opportunities on offense."
In fact, the Cardinals (3-2) managed to post the best hitting percentage against the undefeated Nittany Lions (5-0) this season, connecting for a .271 rate of success. It is almost .100 points better than No. 9 Kentucky hit against Penn State Friday night.
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Leading the Ball State attack was redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy with 14 kills, her third match in double figures this season. Kennedy also hit a solid .231 (14-5-39) while adding a dig and a block assist.
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Freshman outside Carson Tyler followed her career night on Friday with another solid outing, smashing 12 more kills and connecting at a .276 (12-4-29) clip. She also tallied six digs, registered a pair of solo blocks and successfully passed 23 of the match-high 25 serves she faced.
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As a unit, the Cardinals were also able to out-block the Nittany Lions by a 7.0-to-6.0 margin. Sophomore transfer Gwen Crull led the way with four total blocks, while connecting for four kills and hitting .444 (4-0-9).
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In the backcourt, freshman libero Sophie Ledbetter continued to shine, racking up 13 digs and a perfect reception percentage on 12 attempts.
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Senior setter Megan Wielonski was second on the squad with seven digs, while adding 35 assists and five kills.
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Penn State finished the night with a .369 hitting mark, with Jess Mruzik collecting a match-high 17 kills and Taylor Trammell hitting .917 (11-0-12). PSU's Gillian Grimes led all players with 15 digs.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team closes play in the Kentucky Invitational Sunday afternoon with a scheduled 2 p.m. first serve versus the ninth-ranked host Wildcats.
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"We played hard against a very talented Penn State squad, we just couldn't get over the hump," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Carson and Sophie were solid in their ball control which really stapled our back court and helped generate some great opportunities on offense."
In fact, the Cardinals (3-2) managed to post the best hitting percentage against the undefeated Nittany Lions (5-0) this season, connecting for a .271 rate of success. It is almost .100 points better than No. 9 Kentucky hit against Penn State Friday night.
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Leading the Ball State attack was redshirt sophomore outside Aniya Kennedy with 14 kills, her third match in double figures this season. Kennedy also hit a solid .231 (14-5-39) while adding a dig and a block assist.
Â
Freshman outside Carson Tyler followed her career night on Friday with another solid outing, smashing 12 more kills and connecting at a .276 (12-4-29) clip. She also tallied six digs, registered a pair of solo blocks and successfully passed 23 of the match-high 25 serves she faced.
Â
As a unit, the Cardinals were also able to out-block the Nittany Lions by a 7.0-to-6.0 margin. Sophomore transfer Gwen Crull led the way with four total blocks, while connecting for four kills and hitting .444 (4-0-9).
Â
In the backcourt, freshman libero Sophie Ledbetter continued to shine, racking up 13 digs and a perfect reception percentage on 12 attempts.
Â
Senior setter Megan Wielonski was second on the squad with seven digs, while adding 35 assists and five kills.
Â
Penn State finished the night with a .369 hitting mark, with Jess Mruzik collecting a match-high 17 kills and Taylor Trammell hitting .917 (11-0-12). PSU's Gillian Grimes led all players with 15 digs.
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The Ball State women's volleyball team closes play in the Kentucky Invitational Sunday afternoon with a scheduled 2 p.m. first serve versus the ninth-ranked host Wildcats.
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Team Stats
PSU
BSU
Kills
50
46
Errors
12
14
Attempts
103
118
Hitting %
.369
.271
Points
60.0
54.0
Assists
46
39
Aces
4
1
Blocks
6
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
12
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
1
Players Mentioned
MH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
DS
/ Women's VolleyballOH
/ Women's Volleyball
S
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