WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Ball State sweeps opponents, wins Iowa tournament

In the span of 24 hours, Ball State women’s volleyball doubled its season win total.

Heading into its first match Friday afternoon, the team sat at just 4-3. After knocking off Western Illinois, Iowa, Drake and Illinois-Chicago by Saturday evening, Ball State exited the Iowa Tournament as champions with an 8-3 record.

Alex Fuelling, Hayley Benson and Mackenzie Kitchel provided the offense for Ball State, recording 106 kills over the four-game sweep.

Head coach Steve Shondell called it a team effort, saying there wasn’t one player in particular who led the team to victory.

“We’ve been working really hard to get everyone playing together and at a high level,” Shondell said. “I thought this was as good of a tournament as I’ve ever seen a Ball State team play.”

The team dropped just two sets over the weekend, and it won many others in dominating fashion.

Ball State won 12 sets and beat its opponent by at least 10 in seven of them.

In the final match, Ball State outscored Illinois-Chicago 75-39, controlling the match from the first serve.

Although the team has talent, it had yet to enter a tournament and flex its hypothetical muscles. The Iowa Tournament gave Ball State that opportunity.

The Cardinals didn’t drop a set on Saturday and never allowed Drake or Illinois-Chicago to reach 20 points.

“This gives us the confidence we’ve been searching for,” Shondell said. “We’ve always had a lot of potential, but sometimes you’ve got to go out and win at a high level.”

The successful road trip brought accolades for some players.

Senior setter Jacqui Seidel was named the most valuable player of the tournament, and Shondell said she played at a level he’s never seen since she arrived at Ball State. She finished with 93 assists that fueled Ball State.

Kylee Baker was named to the all-tournament team, adding four service aces and providing firepower for an offense that overwhelmed teams during the tournament.

The success was encouraging for Shondell, whose team knocked off Iowa in just four sets. The level his team played at didn’t come as a surprise to him.

“I spend quite a bit of time trying to convince my team how good they could be,” Shondell said. “I feel like they’re really starting to believe in themselves, believing that you can go out and beat Big Ten competition.”

With every player seeing playing time over the weekend, including transfer Amanda Raker, who made her first appearance as a Cardinal, the entire team is learning how to play together and not as individuals.

Nowhere was it more apparent than against Iowa, where nine different players recorded a kill.

The team couldn’t be coming together at a better time for Shondell. After a home match Tuesday against IUPUI and a road trip to South Carolina, Ball State begins its conference schedule.

The confidence building inside players will be needed during crucial matchups against conference foes when the MAC West is on the line.

Now on a five-match win streak, Shondell wants his team to take the momentum and run with it.

“Hopefully this is the start of something big,” he said.

Something big, something like winning four matches in 24 hours.