Winning a match in three sets against a team that has won five straight games and is undefeated in the conference seems like a daunting task.
Ball State knew it, and it expected nothing less than a superb performance from their defensive players against Eastern Michigan. That's what it got Saturday night, beating Eastern Michigan 3-0. The win helped the Cardinals move into a first-place tie with the Eagles.
"Going into this game, Eastern Michigan was undefeated," freshman defensive specialist Catie Fredrich said. "We just wanted to beat them 3-0 and show them that they shouldn't be undefeated and that we should be ahead of them."
In the first set, Ball State's defense kept Eastern Michigan to an eight percent hitting percentage, which propelled it to a 25-19 win. The Cardinals got defensive help from senior defensive specialist Alyssa Rio and freshman outside hitter Kyle Baker, who recorded eight and six digs, respectively.
Coach Steve Shondell is satisfied with the amount of effort Fredrich and Rio put forth against Eastern Michigan.
"I was very pleased with both Fredrich's and Rio's performance," Shondell said. "Rio is averaging nine digs a game, and Catie had 11 digs and also passed the ball extremely well. It was a really good effort from our backcourt tonight."
The Cardinals remained strong defensively during the second set. Fredrich contributed with four digs, along with Rio who recorded 10. Ball State surpassed Eastern Michigan 4-1 in blocking, which had been a main focus throughout the week. Junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl led the way with three block assists.
Rio has played the role of a mentor to Fredrich, which provides the Cardinals with opportunities for success in the defensive game.
"Working with Rio is awesome," Fredrich said. "She gets every ball up, and she communicates well. Because of her, you always know where to go, where the ball supposed to be. She makes defense a lot easier."
Next weekend Ball State will face off against a struggling Toledo team who has lost eight straight games.
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