Phil Friend | Sports Editor
TOLEDO, Ohio - 30-11.
That was the score of game three as Eastern Michigan capitalized on numerous Ball State miscues to take a 2-1 lead. It had been all downhill for the Cardinals since the end of game two when Ball State held a 29-26 lead only to lose 31-29. What do you tell your team after the game three disaster?
"The score goes back to 0-0," head coach Randy Litchfield said.
Oh.
"We thought we were going to be up two games to zero and be on cruise control," Litchfield said. "To their credit they stole that game from us, and boy, we did not come out (in game three) very well."
No kidding.
What else you got up your sleeve, coach?
"My motto this weekend is no regrets," Litchfield said. "Play with a style and a personality that you are not going to regret."
That's what Randy Litchfield has been telling his volleyball team all weekend. Never did the words ring more true than in tonight's MAC Tournament semi-final matchup against Eastern Michigan. With the Cardinals facing elimination and a 28-24 deficit in game four, Ball State's seniors refused to go down quietly.
"I was really happy to have Steph Bacan back there serving because I know if anyone could serve us out of it, she'd be the one," senior Sarah Obras said. Bacan would serve the final five points of the game to force a 2-2 tie with the Eagles, with Refenes making the game-deciding kill with an assist from setter Angie Parrell.
It was all Cardinals in the deciding game five, as Ball State won the game 15-7 and the match 3-2 (32-30, 29-31, 11-30, 30-28, 15-7). Obras had 23 kills to lead the Cardinals. Rachel Refenes and Kelly Cochran added 17 and 12, respectfully.
Litchfield said that while Kirby Gibson only had nine kills, she was the unsung hero for the Cardinals tonight.
"She really did the job offensively for us," Litchfield. "She was not a focus of their defense. We know if we could get Kirby loose a little bit that it was going to be good for us. She got great touches with her block, and allowed us to play defense behind her."
Gibson said it was time for her to step up her level of play.
"I just wanted to make a presence out there," Gibson said. "I thought it was my time to come out. I just had to come out of my shell more."
Towards the end of the game it appeared that Eastern Michigan was getting a little tired, with the Cardinals getting a touch on what seemed like every kill attempt by the Eagles. Litchfield said that it was probably more mental than physical.
"They worked so hard to come back in game two and carried that momentum in game three," Litchfield said. "Does fatigue set in? Yes it does and it's more mental. These girls are in great physical shape. I just thought that we looked real fresh and late game four and game 5 really showed."
Eastern Michigan head coach Kim Berrington said it was not a factor at all.
"We can play for five hours," Berrington said. "[Fatigue was] not even a question. We scored six more points than they did in the match. We just had no help. I thought the officiating was bad today. There was no doubt about that. Everyone in the building knows that. Our kids got tentative at the wrong time. That was the bottom line."
MAC CHAMPIONSHIP
The Cardinals will play the top-seeded Ohio Bobcats, who defeated Toledo 3-0 (30-21, 31-29, 30-28). Litchfield said that the Bobcats will give the Cardinals all that they can handle.
"They have offensive threats all over the court," Litchfield said. "They have no weaknesses in their offense. They really distribute their offense with lots of balance. The scariest part of their game is their will to win. They refuse to lose and that's the toughest thing to overcome. You can overcome a lot of their tactics, but their winning mentality is the toughest."
The Bobcats are led by MAC Player of the Year Julia Winkfield. Litchfield said he hopes to take the game out of her hands.
"She's player of the year and deservedly so," Litchfield said. "They're balanced enough to where you can't put their focus on one player, so we're going to play towards their balance. She's going to get some numbers and that's fine. We hope to serve the ball well enough to keep the ball out of her hands because she's a quick hitter and relies on good passing. Serving the ball tough and having them pass poorly is probably the biggest key."
In order for the Cardinals to win tomorrow, Litchfield said that consistency will be the key.
"We have to know that it's going to be a long, tough match," Litchfield said. "We were very prepared for that today. Thank heavens, because for awhile it looked like it might go quick and it ended up being a marathon. Same thing tomorrow, we got to be prepared for long tough points and long tough games."
The third-seeded Cardinals and the Bobcats will square off at 1 P.M. Sunday at the Seagate Center in Toledo, OH.
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