Volleyball Rallies Past Marquette in Weekend Opener

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - - There is no quit in the Ball State women's volleyball team and it showed Friday night, as the Cardinals (3-4) rallied from down 11-7 in the fifth set, scoring the final eight points, to claim a 3-2 (20-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 15-11) victory at Marquette.

"We showed a lot of toughness and had some people step up in some big-time moments, especially in the fifth set," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "You have to have people make clutch plays when you're on the road against a great team like Marquette."

It was a final push in another epic battle for Ball State this season, which was aided by the strong play of junior middle Camryn Wisewho smashed 12 kills, hit .579 (12-1-19) and tied for match-high honors with six total blocks. Two of those blocks came in the final eight-point run which also saw the Cardinals defense force four Golden Eagles (3-2) attack errors.

"Camryn set the tone that she was ready to play from the very beginning," Phillips said. "That was the leadership example we needed. She was huge tonight in all facets."

Overall, Ball State turned in an impressive performance against a Marquette squad which received 37 points in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Cardinals held a .211 to .188 edge in attack percentage, a 73 to 62 lead in total digs and a 12.0 to 11.0 advantage in total blocks.

Another big factor at the net for Ball State was junior middle Gwen Crull who chipped in five total blocks, including a pair of solo stuffs. She also smashed seven kills and served up an ace during the final eight-point run.

In the backcourt, it was the play of sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling which helped set the tone. She finished the night with a career-high 20 digs, nine more than her previous career mark, while going a perfect 10-for-10 in serve receive.

"Gwen and Elizabeth, notably, were huge down the stretch with serving and defensive play making," Phillips added.

In addition to Wise finishing the night with her third double-digit kill effort of the season, sophomore outside Carson Tyler led the Ball State offense with 17 and graduate outside Noelle VanOort added 14. Both also chipped in their fourth double-doubles of the season, with Tyler collecting a career-high 19 digs and VanOort adding 11.

Also chipping in double-digit digs was sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter who reached double figures for the seventh time this season with 10. She was even more impressive in serve receive, passing 56 of the match-high 57 serves she faced against a Marquette squad which averaged 1.56 aces per set entering the night.

Guiding Ball State's offensive effort was junior setter Lindsey Green who dished out a career-high 51 assists, while collecting six digs, three blocks, two kills and a service ace. It was her team-leading 10th ace of the season.

On the Marquette side of the net, Hattie Bray led three Golden Eagles in double figures with 19 kills, while hitting .516 (19-3-31). Adriana Studer collected a match-high 21 digs, while Keira Schmidt tied Wise for match-high honors with six total blocks. Isabela Haggard guided the MU offense, dishing out 51 assists.

"We've played a ton of good teams already this season and we've learned a lot from each of those matches," Phillips concluded. "The team is trusting one another, working hard and staying the course. It paid off tonight. We still have a long way to go, but it feels good to get a win like this."

The Ball State women's volleyball team continues play in the Marquette Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT first serve versus Milwaukee. The Cardinals close the three-day event Sunday with a 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT first serve against James Madison.

Volleyball Rallies Past Marquette in Weekend Opener

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Team Stats

Carson Tyler

Noelle VanOort

Camryn Wise

Gwen Crull

Players Mentioned

Gwen Crull

Lindsey Green

Sophie Ledbetter

Elizabeth Tabeling

Carson Tyler

Noelle VanOort