After Catie Fredrich delivered a match-winning service ace in the fourth game between Ball State and Miami, it seemed like she had practically jumped out of the stadium in joy.
The only person who may have jumped even higher was Ball State coach Steve Shondell as he stood on the sidelines.
Even with a 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-23) win over Mid-American Conference rival Miami, the outcome couldn't have been much closer to becoming Ball State's fourth loss of the season. It showed from the player's and coach's excitement as the Cardinals won the match point.
With the score 23-21 in favor of Miami in the fourth game, the Cardinals found a way to stave off a scrappy and resilient RedHawks team. Key kills from seniors Kelsey Brandl and Brittany McGinnis and, of course, Fredrich's winning serve secured Ball State's now 21-match winning streak at home would stay intact.
"I knew that the game was so close that it needed to end," Fredrich said. "I could feel it as the ball was going in the air. The girl shanked it and I just jumped so high. It needed to be done."
A season-high crowd of 1,133 in attendance, which included the Ball State football team, may have pushed Ball State over the top.
"We had heard earlier in the day that the football team was coming, so that was nice of them to support us," junior outside hitter Kara Bates said. "It was cool to see more students in the crowd. That's always exciting. We always want to win on our home floor."
While Ball State managed to pull off a win, it wasn't pretty for the majority of the match. The Cardinals failed to hit above a success rate above .220 in four games and blew a nine-point lead in the opening set to lose the first game 25-23.
But in the midst of the team's overall struggles, players off the bench provided the spark needed to give Ball State the match's momentum.
Bates substituted into the match early in the second game and immediately made an impact, hitting five kills in the set and eventually finishing the match with 12 kills and a .296 attack percentage.
"Kara's been waiting for her opportunity and she took full advantage of it tonight and played a beautiful match," Shondell said. "Got some key blocks, hit the ball extremely well. She's been working really hard in practice and took advantage of her opportunity tonight and did a great job."
Senior defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra and sophomore middle blocker Mindy Marx also made key contributions for Ball State. Schembra collected 11 digs in four games while Marx finished with three kills and two blocks after only playing in the fourth and final game.
After three straight weeks of winning the MAC West Defensive Player of the Week, Fredrich started to make her case for a fourth consecutive week, tying her career-high in digs with 31 on the night.
With a 19-3 overall record and a 8-1 record in the MAC, Ball State will play Bowling Green Saturday night at 7 p.m. with the chance to reach 20 wins on the season.
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