Since the start of the coach Steve Shondell era, Worthen Arena has become a feared venue in the Mid-American Conference.
Prior to this weekend, the Ball State women's volleyball team hadn't lost a match at home with Shondell as its coach. That amounts to 20 consecutive wins.
Ball State students added another dimension to Worthen Arena this weekend. With 1,892 fans combined in attendance for Ball State's two wins this weekend against Miami and Bowling Green, players said they felt more energy around them.
"It was awesome," sophomore libero Catie Fredrich after the win over Miami. "I love when there's big crowds. You just get pumped up for those kinds of games and you just want to win."
A season-high attendance of 1,133 helped push Ball State past Miami for a 3-1 win. Saturday's result was much further apart, as Ball State cruised past Bowling Green, sweeping the match 3-0.
By defeating the Falcons, the Cardinals became the first team in the MAC to reach 20 wins in the 2011 season. Their record now stands at 20-3 overall and 9-1 in conference play.
Junior outside attacker Kara Bates came alive in Ball State's two matches, totaling 26 kills over the weekend. After Ball State lost the first game to Miami, Bates came off the bench in the second game to provide an spark on offense that would continue for the rest of the match.
On Saturday against Bowling Green, senior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl shook off a recent offensive slump to tie for the team lead in kills with 14. She also finished with a .542 attack percentage and three blocks.
Brandl's rise in play began in the third game of the Miami match. After ending game two with two kills, four errors and a -.167 attack percentage, she bounced back to finish the match with seven kills.
Shondell said he was impressed by Brandl's resilency.
"She responded like we expect her to," Shondell said. "In her senior year, a captain, veteran player, we were confident she would get going again. We're really proud of the way she bounced back after a slow start."
Sophomore outside attacker Kylee Baker and senior middle blocker Jennifer Boyd also made significant contributions on offense. Baker hit 20 kills in both matches, while Boyd had 14.
On defense, the steady Fredrich continued build her case for the All-MAC team with 47 total digs on the weekend as well as tying her career high in digs with 31 against Miami. Senior defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra also had 17 combined digs.
Ball State keeps hold of its first-place lead in the MAC with a 20-3 record. The team will now head into a road match with Toledo this Thursday before returning home to play Buffalo on Saturday.
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