Freshman outside hitter Kylee Baker's homecoming wasn't what she wanted. It wasn't what Ball State coach Steve Shondell wanted. What mattered was that Ball State survived.
The Cardinals (11-2, 1-0) opened Mid-American Conference play at Northern Illinois (14-2 2 0-1) Friday night in what turned out to be another thrilling five set match. Ball State found a way to recover from trailing 2 sets to 1, winning 25-20, 18-25, 17-25, 25-23, 16-14.
"This was an incredible match and effort by our group," Shondell said. "It was an extremely hostile environment. We couldn't even communicate with our players. It was so loud. I couldn't be prouder of the group for pulling out this win."
Ball State is 3-0 in five set matches in 2010. Each five-set match has come in the last 10 days.
Baker, who grew up near Northern Illinois, had the opportunity to play in front of friends and family for the first time in her collegiate career. The dream scenario of starting the MAC schedule with a win in front of friends and family quickly turned into a nightmare.
After winning the first set, Ball State was decisively beaten 25-18 in the second and third sets. Errors proved costly during both sets. Ball State went from a .412 hitting percentage with 18 kills in the first set to .135 and .049. The lower hitting percentage was coupled with 16 total errors.
The fourth set appeared to be more of the same for Ball State, but a combination of junior setter Brittany McGinnis and freshman setter Jaqui Seidel at the net helped get Ball State into the fifth. Seidel and McGinnis shared time at setter, but late in the fourth and fifth set it was Seidel at the opposite hitter position.
"We went with Jacqui playing the right side," Shondell said. "It was something we had to try. It was something different. It was something we haven't worked on in practice much. The team just really guts it out in five game matches. It shows a lot about their heart."
A back-and-forth fifth set battle between the Cardinals and Huskies concluded with an attack error. The Northern Illinois mistake propelled Ball State to the win. The Cardinals played well down the stretch, committing only one error in the fifth set while the Huskies committed three.
Ball State finishes their seven-game trip against Western Michigan (10-4, 1-0) tonight at 7 p.m.
"This road trip is as tough as any we will face at any time this year," Shondell said. "To beat Western Michigan, we have to play at a higher level than we did tonight. We have to block more balls if we want a chance to beat Western."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
