It was do or die. Win or it was playing on the road the rest of the season for the Ball State University women's volleyball team.
Saturday night at the University of Akron, Ball State had to win to host a first round match in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Cardinals found a way to get it done, defeating the Zips in five sets. The victory sends Ball State into the MAC Tournament as the No. 8 seed with the right to host the first round game.
Ball State did, instead of dyeing and defeated Akron 25-21, 20-25, 25-14, 23-25, 15-9. With the win, the Cardinals will be in a re-match with Akron at Worthen Arena.
"[Saturday's] win was not based on individual effort. It was a team effort. We all came together and won it as a team," middle blocker Jennifer Boyd said. "With all the traveling we had done this year, we wanted to avoid traveling on Tuesday. We needed to be at home in front of our fans. There were some really loud and obnoxious fans Thursday night, and we're so glad they came out on. We want them, and everyone else to come out on Tuesday."
Kelsey Brandl, Hannah Sullivan, Charde' Phillips, Jennifer Boyd, and Alisha Green were all in double digits kills for the Cardinals, while libero Alyssa Rio, Kaylee Schembra, Sullivan, and setter Brittany McGinnis came up big with defensively. Rio notched 26 digs. Schembra added 21 and Sullivan chipped in 18 more. McGinnis, playing in the front row, posted 11 digs to go along with her 52 assists.
"The team fought hard for it tonight and played on a good level. It was a collective effort. We hit over .400 and had ball handling, defense and people killing ball," coach Dave Boos said. "We were in control offensively, especially in the sets we won. Akron played great defense. Their libero played fantastic and kept them in it."
Akron's Brionna Patterson paced all players with 20 kills in the contest, while Jackie Goleman added 14 and Liz Martin tallied 10. Chelsea Harvey earned a match-high 34 digs for the Zips.
For more women's volleyball coverage read Monday's issue of The Ball State Daily News.
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