The Ivy League proved to be an itchy nuisance for the Ball State University women's volleyball team and its four match winning streak on Friday.
Ball State lost in four sets to the University of Pennsylvania in the first game of the Towson Invitational in Towson, Md.
After getting off to a good start in the first set against Penn and being tied at 11, Ball State got a bad itch that would not go away.
A pair of attack errors and a ball handling error put the Quakers up by three midway through the set. Three was all Penn needed with Ball State committing mistakes down the stretch en route to a 25-20 first set defeat.
Coach Dave Boos found a quick cure in the break between sets as the Cardinals grabbed a 10-7 lead after trading points with the Quakers. A Brittany McGinnis service ace prompted a small run by Penn to pull within a couple of points, but Ball State was too much.
The front line of Alisha Green, Julie Breivogel, Charde' Phillips, Jennifer Boyd and Kelsey Brandl all took their turns at registering terminations to push the lead to six at 20-14. Another comeback attempt by Penn was halted and Breivogel closed the set with a kill, handing Ball State the 25-21 win.
In the third set, Penn stormed out to a 7-2 lead. The Quakers lead by as much as 11 to take the set 25-17.
A fast start in the fourth set by Penn shook Ball State momentarily. Trailing 5-2, the Cardinals rallied to knot everything up at seven and force a Quaker timeout. Momentum shifted out of the time out with Penn taking the lead on a 3-0 run.
Ball State countered with a timeout and a 4-0 run to claim an 11-10 lead. After exchanging points, Penn grabbed control with a run at 18-12. A Ball State rally, led by a pair of Karin Caudill service aces and Green kills, lifted the Cardinals to set point at 24-23, but the Quakers rose to the occasion and fought off the point. In return, Penn turned the tables and claimed the 26-24 victory.
Phillips continued to be the offensive stalwart for the Cardinals. In the losing effort she notched 14 kills while hitting a .417 attack percentage. Green had 13 kills and Breivogel chipped in 11.
Defensively Kaylee Schembra had 15 digs while Christie Waters tallied 11 of her own.
Penn had four more kills than Ball State, but the Cardinals had five ball handling errors to the Quakers' one. Ball State also registered six service errors compared to Penn's two.
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