Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said that his definition of a successful weekend would be to finish 3-0.
After winning the match 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 26-24), he couldn't have asked for a more ideal start.
Ball State struck quickly in the first set, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. Austin Peay fought back, but a 5-1 run late in the set sealed it for Ball State.
Austin Peay came out attacking to start the second set, gaining a 11-6 advantage before Ball State found its offense. Sophomore Alex Fuelling connected on five kills in Ball State’s next seven points, giving her team a 13-12 lead on a 7-1 run.
Fuelling finished the match with a team high 15 kills with a .171 attack percentage.
Led by Calyn Hull and Sammie Ebright, Austin Peay took a 23-20 lead, forcing a Ball State timeout.
A kill from Ball State’s sophomore Hayley Benson followed by two attack errors from the Governors tied the game, before Fuelling put two spikes away to win the set.
Benson had 10 kills on 15 attempts, leading the team in attack percentage with .667.
Down two matches and desperate, Austin Peay jumped out to leads of 5-1 and 16-10. Kills from Fuelling, senior Mindy Marx and Benson brought Ball State back to tie the game at 21 before three consecutive kills from senior Lauren Grant won the set, sealing the match for Ball State.
Ball State continues its road trip in Tampa, Fla., by taking on Citadel at 11:30 a.m. and South Florida at 7:00 p.m. Saturday
