Ball State Sweeps Falcons

Saturday, October 25

Bowling Green, Ohio

7 PM

Bowling Green State University

5-17, 2-8MAC

Ball State (Faculty/Staff Day)

13-10, 7-3MAC

Ball State

Bowling Green

October 25, 2014 | Volleyball

Box Score

By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications

Photo Gallery
Box Score

Bowling Green, Ohio – The Ball State volleyball team controlled play the outset in its Mid-American Conference contest with Bowling Green, defeating the Falcons in three sets at the Stroh Center Saturday night 25-19, 25-15, 25-19.

"We knew this was going to be a tough match," BGSU Volleyball Coach Danijela Tomic said. "Ball State is very balanced. They are one of the few teams we face whose top attacking hitters are their middles and we to key on them. The bottom line is that Ball State just outplayed us."

Ball State led in virtually every statistical category, including hitting .358, posting 19 more kills than the Falcons and recording four aces, double BGSU's two. Defensively, the Cardinals had a 50-36 advantage in digs and added 7.5 blocks, three more than the Falcons.

"I don't remember the last time a team out dug us by 14," Tomic said. "It was just a matter of discipline and a matter of effort. Every team has hitters who are going to make a really good swing that you can't defend. But they were scoring on us with tips and dumps. If you can't pick up those and convert those into kills, you have no chance."

Ball State hit at least .237 in each set, including a remarkable .559 in the second when the Cardinals had 19 kills on 34 swings without a single attack error. BGSU rebounded from an .093 attacking first set to hit respectably the rest of the match (.267 in the second and .226 in the third) but Ball State was too efficient for the Falcons.

The first set was a see-saw battle early and was tied at 7-7 before Ball State went on a six-point run. The Falcons rallied to get as close as two points at 15-13 and again at 21-19. But Ball State scored the final four points of the set on a block and two kills to get ahead in the match.

The second set got out of hand quickly as Ball State went ahead 7-4 and pushed the lead to as many as 10 points at 19-9. Bowling Green kept fighting, scoring three in a row at one point, but the Cardinals held on for the 25-15 win.

In the third set, Bowling Green scored three of the first four points but Ball State quickly took the lead with a 5-1 run. The Cardinals led 12-9 before Kelsey Bates and Paige O'Connor had kills during a 3-0 stretch that tied the score. After Ball State called a timeout to regroup, the Cardinals used a 7-1 run to put the match away.

O'Connor led Bowling Green with eight kills and Alyssa Maloney hit .263 with six kills. Madeline Garda had a team-best 10 digs and Erica Fullenkamp posted 24 assists, seven digs and three kills. Maloney added three blocks and three digs for the Falcons.

With the win, Ball State improves to 13-10 overall and 7-3 in MAC play. Bowling Green falls to 5-17 overall and 2-8 in the MAC. The Falcons will close out their home slate during the next weekend, hosting Akron for a Halloween Trick-or-Treat contest Friday night at 5 pm. BGSU will host Buffalo Saturday at 5 pm for Senior Night, honoring Fullenkamp and Bates.