CINCINNATI, Ohio - After struggling on the road for much of the campaign, Ball State University's women's volleyball team finally notched a non-conference road win, defeating Xavier 3-0.
The Cardinals (13-8) didn't play particularly well, but the Musketeers (15-9) made a plethora of errors, ending the game with 27 attack and 10 service errors.
"It's a big win for many different reasons," coach Randy Litchfield said. "It was a harsh environment, on the road, against a very solid program. Keeps the momentum alive."
The Cardinals had only won one match on the road to this point - at Kent State, including a loss to IPFW where the coach said a crowd got into the squad's head. A similar rowdy crowd showed up at Cintas Center.
"Our players would really like to have that Fort Wayne match back," Litchfield said. "They weren't going to let the crowd get to them in this match."
Ball State didn't fair much better, except for during game two when the squad had only three attack errors.
Rachel Refenes led the way with 17 kills, six block assists and a solo block, while Sarah Obras added 13 kills and 13 digs.
Amanda McCormick tallied 28 digs in the three game match. Angie Parrell had 38 assists and five block assists.
"What we're starting to see as a theme is Refenes in the front court and McCormick in back," Litchfield said. "They've been absolutely dominating games of late."
The Cardinals spent much of the first game behind the Musketeers. Neither team hit well, with Ball State having an attack percentage of .100 and Xavier in the negative. The Cardinals gained their first two point lead at 28-26 and took the next two points to win the game.
In the second game the Cardinals took an early lead and held it throughout the entire game, winning 30-23.
Game three started with a slight Xavier lead but an 8-1 Cardinals run gave the Cardinals the lead for good.
The Cardinals outhit Xavier in each of the three games, finishing with an attack percentage of ,170 compared to Xavier's .051.
The Cardinals return to action against Northern Illinois at Worthen Arena on Friday. The Cardinals have tied their longest winning streak of the season with three.
"Stringing wins together is what we've struggled with all year maybe we're ready to string some together," Litchfield said. "You won't see me making any promises yet. We have a lot to do to prove that."
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