Courtesy of MAC Sport Information Departments
Ball State 3, Central Michigan 1
Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. -- It was senior night Saturday in Worthen Arena, and the Ball State women's volleyball team celebrated in a big way, claiming its third straight Mid-American Conference West Division Championship with a 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 18-25, 25-19) victory over Central Michigan.
The Cardinals (17-11; 11-5 MAC) enter next week's MAC Volleyball Championships as the hottest team in the league, winning six straight to close out the regular season. With the run, Ball State also locked up the fourth seed in the event to earn a first-round bye into Friday's 4:30 p.m. quarterfinal match.
"Central Michigan was running on all cylinders and we knew we were going to be in for a battle tonight," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "We came ready to play, ready to battle, and it's awesome to come out with another MAC West Division title."
The Chippewas (21-7; 11-5 MAC) didn't leave Worthen Arena empty handed, however, as they share the divisional championship with the Cardinals. CMU also claimed the second overall seed in the next week's MAC Championship by winning a three-way tiebreaker which also included tournament host Bowling Green (17-12; 11-5 MAC) in the middle.
While Ball State's seniors stole the show early, with the senior presentation coming prior to Saturday's contest, it was junior Kia Holder who came up with another huge match to guide the Cardinals to the victory. Holder finished the contest with a match-high 19 kills and added a career-best five total blocks in another clutch late-season performance.
Overall, it was another big team effort in the win, as eight different Ball State players recorded at least three kills, while 10 players earned at least three digs.
"Our strength all year has been out depth and versatility," Phillips said. "On any given night, I feel every single player on my roster could be a starter for any team in the MAC. My challenge is figuring out which pieces are going to put it together to make the most out of each night. The best part is the team has just kept believing and been great teammates. If it's not their night to start, they've stayed ready, come in and sparked us when we've needed it."
Going back to the seniors, libero Kate Avila continued her assault on the program's all-time digs record with a match-high 28 in the contest. The effort raised her career total to 2,170 and leaves her 104 digs shy of breaking the program record of 2,273 set by Stephanie Keller (2001-04).
Senior setter Amber Seaman collected her second consecutive double-double, and fifth of the season, with 29 assists and 17 digs. Along with redshirt freshman Esther Grussing, she helped the Cardinals finish the night with a .200 (59-22-185) attack percentage.
Senior defensive specialist Anna Jensen helped turn the tide late in the opening set, coming off the bench to serve with CMU holding set point at 24-23. The move paid off, as her strong serving allowed the Cardinals to score the next three points to win the frame.
Senior middle Sydnee VanBeek turned in another big night at the net, tying for team-high honors with six total blocks. She also smashed seven kills and chipped in three digs in the win.
"Our seniors were what they've been for us since they arrived on campus, complete rocks." Phillips said. "I thought this was one of the best matches Kate has played in her career and that's what you want to be doing, playing your best volleyball at the end of the season. Amber has been battling sickness and just gutted it out and competed. She served tough and made key plays defensively. Anna entered the match in some really tough situations and just hung right in there. She served tough under pressure and made some tough digs. Sydnee was a huge blocking presence for us again tonight."
Other key contributors in the match were led by freshman middle Marie Plitt who scored eight kills, recorded six total blocks, collected four digs and added a service ace.
Freshman outside Natalie Risi was third on the team with 15 digs, while freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber added 13 digs. Freshmen opposites Allison Hamaker and Natalie Mitchem chipped in with seven and six kills, respectively, while freshman MyKel Ivy came in on the outside in the fourth set and proceeded to smash five kills in the frame.
Kalina Smith led the CMU offense with 17 kills, while Savannah Thompson scored 15 kills and added a team-high 24 digs.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will now wait to see who it will be battling in Friday's MAC Championship quarterfinal match at BGSU's Stroh Center, as the Cardinals face the winner of Thursday's 4:30 p.m. opening round match between fifth-seeded Ohio and eighth-seeded Kent State.
Bowling Green 3, Northern Illinois 2
Box Score
Bowling Green, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University volleyball program claimed another five-set win on the season, trading sets with Northern Illinois on Saturday night (Nov. 16) in a 3-2 final at the Stroh Center. The win puts the Falcons at 11-5 in the MAC and 17-11 overall while the Huskies fall to 5-11 in the conference and 8-22 overall. Next up for the Falcons will be the MAC Tournament, being played at the Stroh Center.
Set Scores
Set 1 - Bowling Green 25, Northern Illinois 22
Set 2 - Northern Illinois 25, Bowling Green 19
Set 3 - Bowling Green 25, Northern Illinois 23
Set 4 - Northern Illinois 25, Bowling Green 23
Set 5 - Bowling Green 15, Northern Illinois 10
Play-By-Play Notes
Buffalo 3, Kent State 2
Box Score
BUFFALO, NY – For a team that has made it a habit of going the distance, it was only fitting that the University at Buffalo volleyball team went to a fifth set yet again on Saturday night defeating the Kent State Golden Flashes, 3-2. The Bulls improve to 12-16 and finish league play 8-8. UB will be the #7 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
Buffalo took the contest 25-22, 28-30, 22-25, 25-23, 15-11 as the Bulls hit .301 for the contest, compared to .290 for the Golden Flashes. In the opening set, the two teams traded the lead back and forth as they found themselves tied at 17-17 when UB got kills from seniors Kristina Nieves and Rachel Sanks to take a 19-17 lead. The Golden Flashes again pulled within one at 22-21 before the Bulls got kills from Lexi Nordmann and Scout McLerran to get to set point. A kill from Polina Prokudina clinched the opening set.
Both teams had their opportunities in the second set as Kent State finally came out ahead 30-28. The Golden Flashes took a 2-1 lead in the match with a win in the third set, but like they have done all year, the Bulls weren't done.
Kent State led 8-5 in the fourth set when the Bulls scored four straight points as a Sanks kill gave Buffalo the 9-8 lead. The Golden Flashes went on to take a 20-19 advantage, but the Bulls responded with a 4-0 run to go ahead, 23-20. Kent State would fight off two set points, but a Golden Flashes' service error clinched the set and sent the match to five.
An ace from freshman Jenna Sonnenberg put Buffalo ahead 3-1 early. Leading just 6-5, the Bulls went on a 5-0 run, all but putting the match away. Kent State would fight off three match points late, but a kill from Sanks clinched the set and the match.
Sanks finished with 23 kills to lead all players. Prokudina added 16 kills, while Monika Simkova had 12. Nieves finished with nine kills and just one error as she hit .533. Both Nordmann and McLerran each had seven kills.
McLerran added 56 assists and she also had two of Buffalo's eight aces. Simkova and freshman Abby Leigh also each had a pair of aces.
Defensively, Simkova finished with a team-high 15 digs, while sophomore Paige Beck added 14. McLerran chipped in 10 digs. The Bulls had 10.0 blocks, including four from McLerran. Nieves had a team-high five blocks, while Prokudina finished with three.
Eastern Michigan 3, Toledo 0
Box Score
TOLEDO, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team took the court for its final bow of the 2019 season, defeating Mid-American Conference rival, the University of Toledo in straight sets tonight, Nov. 16, at Savage Arena.
Although it will not have the opportunity to defend its MAC Tournament crown, Eastern (11-17, 6-10) ends its season on a high note, sweeping Toledo (9-19, 2-14 MAC) in the season series between the squads, 2-0.
A fitting end to her outstanding career, senior Cassie Haut (Monroe, Mich.-Monroe), led all players in the match with a 13-kill performance. Haut finishes her EMU career with 1,270 total kills in 124 matches-played. Fellow senior Ariel Hamby (Oak Park, Ill.- Oak Park River Forest) left a mark in her final collegiate contest as well, contributing six kills to the Green and White's effort.
Seniors Riley Taylor (Indianapolis, Ind.-Perry Meridian) and Camille Schomer (Rochester, Mich.-Oakland Christian) also turned-in inspired performances. Riley, the team's assist leader, racked up 34 assists against the Rockets. Schomer was second on the team with 10 digs in the effort.
Determined to end the season right, Eastern was firing on all cylinders from the start of the match. The Eagles raced out to a four point lead, 5-1, to begin the match, and never looked back, eventually claiming the first set, 25-17.
Although Toledo has long since been eliminated from postseason contention, the Rockets put together a strong effort on their home court, battling shot-for-shot with the Eagles in the match's final two frames. Even at 25-apiece in the second, Eastern fought to win four of the next six points, claiming the set, 29-27, and taking a commanding two-sets-to-none lead.
Despite falling behind, 23-20, in the third, EMU proved too powerful for the Rockets. Facing match point, 24-21, EMU rattled off five consecutive points, riding the perfect serving of none other than Haut, to win the set, 26-24, and claim the match, 3-0.
With the end of the match came the close of the 2019 campaign for the EMU volleyball team. After wrapping up the season, Head Coach Darcy Dorton, along with 13 set-to-return Eagles will be back to work this winter, preparing for the 2020 season, which will begin in late August, 2020.
Miami 3, Western Michigan 0
Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio – The Miami University volleyball team secured its place in history with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-13) victory over Western Michigan Saturday evening. With the win, the RedHawks earned the 2019 MAC Regular Season Championship for the fourth straight season. Miami improves to 17-10 on the year and finishes 12-4 in the MAC. The Broncos finish the season 14-14 overall and 5-11 in the MAC.
This is the second time in program history that Miami has won four straight regular season titles. The previous time was from 1995-98. It was fitting that it was Senior Night on Saturday as the class of 2020 was honored before the match and now joins the class of 1999 as the only two classes to win four rings in four tries.
The 2019 team won the MAC regular season championship outright, which is the first time a Miami team has done that since 1995.
As for the match, it was an all-around solid offensive effort. Miami made only 10 attack errors the entire night and had a sizzling .347 attack percentage. A pair of seniors were a big part of that as senior middle hitter Haley Stewart tied her career high with eight kills. She did not make an attack error in 13 attempts for a .615 hitting percentage. Senior middle hitter Margaret Payne finished with seven kills and added five blocks (three solo, two assisted).
A kill and a block by Payne, along with two kills from freshman right side hitter Allyson Severance off assists from junior setter Morgan Seaman helped Miami take an 8-5 lead to begin set one. A kill by Stewart off an assist from sophomore setter Louise Comerford and a block by senior outside hitter Taylor Daignault made it 11-6. A pair of kills by sophomore outside hitter Gaby Harper and one from junior right side hitter Avarie Powell got the margin to seven at 19-12. That is where it would finish as a block by Powell gave the RedHawks a 25-18 win.
Western Michigan held an early 5-2 advantage in set two before Miami went on a 7-2 run to take a 9-7 advantage. The Broncos scored three in a row to regain the lead, but back-to-back kills from Daignault and Severance took it right back. It went back and forth as neither team could build more than two points. Tied at 17, a kill from Powell and a block from Stewart were part of three straight that put the RedHawks in control. The Broncos fought back, however, with a 3-1 run to tie it at 21. From there, Miami answered with a 4-1 finish to take a 25-22 victory.
Payne had two kills, while Severance and Powell had one apiece as the RedHawks took an 8-3 lead in set three. Stewart had two more kills as part of an 8-2 run that gave Miami a 16-6 advantage. That proved to be more than enough as Western Michigan was unable to get closer. A final kill from Payne finished off a 25-13 victory and gave the 'Hawks the win in straight sets.
Powell led Miami with nine kills and had a .533 attack percentage. Severance had eight kills, while Harper finished with six kills and 11 digs. Seaman led the RedHawks with 21 assists, while junior libero Abigail Huser had a team-high 15 digs.
As a team, Miami had 15 blocks, compared to only five for the Broncos.
Ohio 3, Akron 1
Box Score
ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio volleyball team (17-12, 9-7 MAC) extended its winning streak to four in a row courtesy of a 3-1 (21-25, 27-29, 25-21, 25-21) Senior Night victory over Akron (16-11, 9-7 MAC) this evening at the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats sent libero/defensive specialist Meredith Howe (Grand Rapids, Mich.), opposite hitter/middle blocker Sara Januszewski (Oak Creek, Wis.), middle blocker Shayla Phillip (Columbia, S.C.), outside hitter Lizzie Stephens (Dallas, Texas) and outside hitter/defensive specialist Allyson Vaughn (Glenview, Ill.) out as winners in their final match at the Convo.
"I think the confidence piece is real and important," head coach Deane Webb said. "Getting this team tonight is great for confidence. I think our team believes we have enough to go to the MAC Tournament and be successful. At the same time, we're 0-0. It's about finding that balance between hunger and confidence and coming into the gym ready to work."
Ohio totaled 54 kills off of 51 assists, tallied seven services aces and outblocked Akron, 11-4.
Junior opposite hitter Maggie Nedoma (Brook Park, Ohio) led the way for the Bobcats with a match-high 17 kills and added two block assists and seven digs. Junior middle blocker Tia Jimerson (Sugar Hill, Ga.) finished with 11 kills and totaled a match-high seven total blocks, including two solo stuffs. Phillip also registered double-digit kills, finishing with 10 in addition to posting two total blocks.
Redshirt sophomore middle blocker/opposite hitter Dahlias Bouyer (Brownstown, Mich.) collected seven kills and two total blocks while freshman outside hitter Olivia Margolies (Galena, Ohio) posted seven kills and two block assists.
Junior setter Vera Giacomazzi (San Vendemiano, Italy) achieved a double-double with a match-high 49 assists to go along with 12 digs. She also assisted on three blocks. Junior libero/defensive specialist Macy Reihing (Lexington, Ky.) led the Bobcats with 19 digs.
Akron built an 18-16 lead in the first set, but back-to-back kills by Nedoma and Jimerson followed by a service ace by Reihing gave the Bobcats the lead and forced the Zips to burn a timeout. Another kill by Nedoma extended Ohio's lead to 20-18, but Akron ended the set on a 7-1 run to take a 1-0 match lead.
The Zips led throughout the majority of the second set, building up a 17-12 advantage that forced the Bobcats to call timeout. Ohio came storming back though, rattling off a 12-6 run that gave the Bobcats set point at 24-23. The comeback was highlighted by four kills by Jimerson, two kills by Nedoma and a solo block by Phillip. Akron tied the set back up, then had set point twice but was unable to finish it off. With the score deadlocked at 27-all, the Bobcats made the Zips pay as a kill by Phillip and a solo block by Bouyer sealed the come-from-behind victory and evened the match.
The Bobcats never trailed in the third set on their way to taking a 2-1 match lead. Ohio hit .265 with 14 kills off 13 assists, three service aces and three total team blocks on its way to a 25-21 victory. Margolies and Nedoma each recorded four kills while Jimerson logged three total blocks (one solo, two assisted) and Stephens tallied two service aces.
Ohio came away with a second-straight 25-21 set win to seal the match victory in four sets. The Bobcats led for the majority of the set, forcing Akron to burn a timeout after seizing a 17-8 lead. The Zips scored 11 of the next 16 points, forcing Ohio to call both of its timeouts. The Bobcats put Akron away, though, courtesy of kills by Phillip and Nedoma and a service ace by Stephens. Nedoma finished the fourth set with four kills while Bouyer and Phillip each added three.
Ohio is in the MAC Tournament, which begins on Thursday.
