BLOOMINGTON - The Ball State University women's volleyball team found itself in a familiar position Saturday in Indiana University's Assembly Hall.
After holding on to win 25-23 in the first set against George Mason University, the Cardinals found themselves down 19-20 in another close second set.
Coach Dave Boos then called a timeout, and his team responded out of the gates by scoring six of the next nine points to claim the set and took a 2-0 lead over the Patriots.
The Cardinals cruised in the third set and swept George Mason 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-10).
With the win, the Cardinals (4-10) finished 1-2 in the Indiana University Invitational after being defeated Friday by the University of Cincinnati and host Indiana University, both by 3-0 scores.
Boos said coming back to win the second set was critical for his team's progress the rest of the season.
"I think the big turning point not just in [the George Mason] match but for the rest of the season is going to be our play at the end of set two," Boos said. "I thought we did a great job of going on a 6-3 run there to win that set, and then it carried over into set three and it kept that level of play at a high level for the rest of the match."
Junior outside hitter Julie Breivogel, who led the Cardinals with 11 kills in the match, said the win against the Patriots was an indicator of her team's growth throughout the season.
"We just found every little piece of the puzzle and just put it together," Breivogel said. "I think everyone played extremely well, and I'm really excited because this puts us in good position for conference play next weekend."
Junior opposite hitter Elaina Kakatolis added eight kills and three blocks for Ball State, while freshman libero Kaylee Schembra led the defense with a match-high 14 digs.
Breivogel and sophomore defensive specialist Alyssa Rio also added three services aces for the Cardinals.
Kaylee Schembra was named to the all-tournament team for the TIS Bookstore Indiana University Invitational this weekend. She had a total of 34 digs on the weekend.
The Cardinals open up their Mid-American Conference season against Central Michigan University on Friday night at Worthen Arena.
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