Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
#3 Ball State (MAC Tournament)
Volleyball Upended By Ball State, 3-2, in MAC Tournament Semifinals
11/19/2005 9:35:36 PM | Volleyball
Melissa Bartlett had a double-double for Eastern Michigan with 17 kills and 11 digs
Box score.
TOLEDO, Ohio - Ball State libero Amanda McCormick had a career-high 43 digs as third-seeded Ball State upset No. 2 Eastern Michigan in a five-game thriller in the first semifinal of the MAC Volleyball Tournament at SeaGate Centre Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals advance to the tournament championship, and will face the winner of the semifinal nightcap between top-seeded Ohio and No. 5 Toledo Sunday at 1 p.m.
West Division champion EMU is eliminated from the tournament with a season record of 22-7, including a 15-2 MAC slate, marking the most conference wins in program history.
Game one saw Eastern Michigan jump up by as many as five points in the early stages. EMU led 12-8, but Ball State committed two consecutive errors to give the Eagles a 15-8 lead at the first media timeout.
The Eagles extended their lead to 18-10 five points later, when Bethany Piccolini used a Kate Sulewski set to set up a mid-court kill. Ball State trimmed that edge in half (20-16) eight possessions later with a Kristin Westhof kill. With EMU's offense suddenly becoming stagnant, the Cardinals won two out of the ensuing points to pull within 21-18, forcing Eastern head coach Kim Berrington to call timeout.
The Cardinals took the lead at 23-22 before EMU re-tied the game and regained offensive possession. Both teams traded points over the next 11 possessions, and after the Eagles tied the game at 28-28, Ball State called timeout.
The stanza was stretched to a 30-30 tie before Ball State clinched the win on offense. With Kelly Cochran serving, Angie Parrell took control of the Ball State offense, and responded with the game-winning kill.
Ball State took early control in game two, seizing a 7-3 edge. EMU fought back, and after block assists by Olivia Hinkle and Lindsay Piccolini, the Eagles pulled within 10-8. The Cardinals kept the pressure on, and after a Rachel Refenes kill, claimed a 15-10 lead at the frame's media break.
The Eagles pulled within three at 17-14, but Ball State gained a side out and took advantage. The Cardinals were on the winning end of four of the next five points, and forced Eastern into a timeout leading 21-15. EMU answered right back with three consecutive points to cut the lead in half. Ball State called its first timeout with a 21-18 edge after Baltare split the Cardinal defense with a kill from Sulewski.
EMU trimmed the lead to 26-24 eight possessions later with back-to-back points capped off by an Ashley Cudney service ace. The Eagles eventually tied the game at 26-26, but Ball State again took control, tallying three straight points to take a decisive 29-26 lead and force EMU into a timeout facing game point.
The Eagles answered with three more points to tie the game at 29-29 capped off by a Kate Sulewski ace. Two points later, with Ball State facing game point at 30-29, EMU tied the match at one game a piece capped off by a Bartlett kill.
Eastern Michigan carried the momentum over to the third game, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. After Biz Schaetzke aced the Cardinal defense, Ball State head coach Randy Litchfield was forced into taking the frame's first timeout.
Ball State did not score a point again until falling behind by nine, 10-1. Three possessions later, EMU extended the lead to double digits at 12-2. After a Ball State net violation put the Eagles up 13-2, Litchfield took another timeout. The Cardinals won their first consecutive points of the game at 15-3 and 15-4, but Bethany Piccolini and Kate Sulewski responded with back-to-back assisted blocks to stretch the EMU lead to 17-4.
Ball State never recovered from the quick Eastern Michigan start, forcing game point leading by 18, 29-11. With Baltare serving, Lindsay Piccolini capped off the win with a cross-court kill to take the two games to one lead in the best of five. The 19-point spread marked Ball State's largest margin of defeat on the season.
Both teams traded points in the early stages of game four. After the game was tied for much of the first half, EMU claimed a two-point, 15-13 lead at the first media timeout on a cross-court kill by Lindsay Piccolini.
With Schaetzke serving, EMU claimed two consecutive points to open up a 22-19 edge, forcing Ball State into its first timeout of the frame. The Eagles extended their lead to four points (25-21) just five possessions later, and the Cardinals burned another timeout.
EMU opened up a 28-24 lead, but back-to-back EMU attack errors cut the lead to two points, and the Eagles burned their first timeout. Ball State pulled within one at 28-27 out of the timeout on a mishandled set by Olivia Hinkle, and Refenes followed with a game-tying kill. A Sulewski setting error gave Ball State the lead (30-29) back, and with the Eagles facing game point, Berrington took another timeout.
Ball State capped off the comeback win with a kill by Rachel Refenes to claim the 30-28 triumph and force game five.
Ball State jumped out to an 8-3 lead in the first-half of game five as both teams switched sides of the court. Sarah Obras gave the Cardinals a 10-5 lead four possessions later, acing the Eagle defense. The Cardinals claimed the ensuing four points, and forced game point on EMU at 14-5. The Eagles fought back with back-to-back points, but Kirby Gibson sealed the win for the Cardinals, 15-7.
Obras led Ball State with 23 digs in the match, and Amanda McCormick added a career-high 43 digs. Melissa Bartlett had a double-double for Eastern Michigan with 17 kills and 11 digs. Lindsay Piccolini had a team-high 22 kills for the Eagles.
Statistically, the match was nearly as close as it could possibly be in a five-game match. Ball State held a one-kill advantage over EMU (73-to-72), and held a slight advantage in hitting percentage, .197 to .194. BSU also out dug the Eagles, 91 to 90.
***Recap Courtesy of the Mid-American Conference Office***
