Coach Dave Boos could not help but smile as he talked to his assistant coaches during a timeout, with his team eight points away from winning the match.
Entering this season predicted to finish in second place in the division and then ending the season with a losing conference record, Boos finally saw what he had been waiting to see all year from the Ball State University women's volleyball team.
The No. 8 seed Ball State swept the No. 9 seed University of Akron 27-25, 25-19, 25-20 in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament on Tuesday at Worthen Arena.
"I think it's the most consistent we have played," Boos said. "We've had a couple matches here in a row where we have played a high level. You saw a team playing confidently."
Having defeated the Zips in five sets three days before this elimination match, Boos said the biggest reason for the Cardinals' sweep Tuesday was their defense.
Ball State (15-15, 7-9 MAC) held Akron to less than .150 attack percentage in each set and out-hit the Zips for the match .248 to .130. In Ball State's win Saturday, Akron (13-17, 5-11 MAC) had more than a .200 attack percentage in two of the five sets.
Middle attacker Charde' Phillips said playing both matches against Akron within such a short span helped the team prepare defensively for Tuesday's match. With the quick turnaround between matches, she said Ball State was able to better read and react to Akron's back-row attack attempts throughout the conference tournament match.
The Cardinals finished the match with five blocks — two more than the Zips.
Outside attacker Alisha Green, who had a match-high two blocks, said Ball State had more motivation Tuesday because the team was at home.
"We could have made plays better the first time we played them," she said. "This time we were more aggressive."
In addition to the blocks, libero Alyssa Rio finished a match-high 23 digs — eight more digs than any other player in the match. Rio also accounted for almost half of Ball State's 58 digs.
Boos said he was impressed with Rio's performance against the Zips. He also said the third-year starter has continued to improve throughout her senior season.
"Her evolution as a defender has brought her to this point where she is making plays that top-level defenders only make," Boos said. "She is making reads that are pretty elite."
With this victory, Ball State advances to the quarterfinals to play the No. 1 seed and MAC regular-season champion Ohio University at 4:30 p.m. Friday in Toledo, Ohio. The Bobcats, which had a bye in the first round, enter on a six-match winning streak and received two votes in this week's coaches poll.
This will be the second consecutive season the two teams will play in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. The Bobcats swept the Cardinals last season.
Following Ball State's performance against Akron, though, Boos said he is looking forward for a chance to upset Ohio.
"If we are going to play Ohio this is the time to do it," Boos said.
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