Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Ball State
Volleyball Sweeps Ball State for Outright MAC West Title
11/13/2005 6:00:55 PM | Volleyball
EMU to next play Friday, Nov. 18, at 11 a.m. in Toledo, Ohio
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Eastern Michigan University volleyball team swept past Ball State to capture the program's first outright Mid-American Conference West Division Championship, Nov. 11, here at the Convocation Center. The Eagles won the match 3-0 (30-28, 31-29, 30-21) to also clinch the second seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament.
With the victory, Eastern improves to 20-6 (13-2 MAC) on the season, while Ball State fall to 17-9 (10-5 MAC) on the season. The victory also snaps the Cardinals five-match winning streak over the Eagles, dating back to Nov. 15, 2004.
In the first set, the two teams traded points, knotting the score at 10-10. EMU went on a 13-11 run to take a two point advantage that they would never relinquish and took the frame 30-28. Sophomore Melissa Barlett tallied eight kills, while junior Ashley Cudney tallied four digs.
In the second game, EMU moved out to a quick 3-1 lead and continued to battle as BSU would not let the game get out of reach. The Cardinals would take a four-point advantage at 25-21, but the Eagles were poised to recapture the lead. Eastern went on a 7-2 run to knot the score at 27-27, before claiming the frame 31-29. EMU senior Becky Baltare paced the attack with nine kills and a .643 attack percentage, while Ball State was led by Rachel Refemes with a game high 10 kills and a block solo.
In the finale, EMU rolled off 15 quick points to take a 15-4 advantage. The Cardinals would not die though, tallying nine of the next 14 points to cut the lead to seven, 20-13. Ball State would hang around, but Eastern Michigan was able to close out the game and the match, 30-21. EMU's Lindsay Piccolini posted six kills and four total blocks (2 solo, 2 assist). BSU was paced by Refemes with five kills.
Baltare tallied 16 kills, nine digs and three total blocks (1 solo, 2 assist) in the victory, while Bartlett added 12 kills and 11 digs. Sophomore Kate Sulewski added 43 set assists, while Cudney recorded 14 digs.
For Ball State, Refemes paced the attack with 21 kills and five total blocks (1 solo, 4 assist), while Kelly Cochran and Sarah Obras managed 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
The Eagles close out the regular season with a Senior Day match versus Toledo, Nov. 12. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
