Depth, championship standards keep Ball State Women’s Volleyball focused on bigger picture

<p>The Ball State Women's Volleyball team practices Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, at Worthen Arena. The team improved to 12-5 after going 2-0 last weekend. Rebecca Slezak,DN</p>

The Ball State Women's Volleyball team practices Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2018, at Worthen Arena. The team improved to 12-5 after going 2-0 last weekend. Rebecca Slezak,DN

Between MAC Weekly Honors and the last three matches, the Cardinals are on a sweeping spree as the MAC tournament quickly approaches. However, head coach Kelli Miller says they’re sticking to focusing on what’s up next.

“We’re playing at that championship standard and it’s showing,” Miller said. “When it comes down to it, we’re focused on the road ahead, but that game right in front of us is most important right now.”

For the second time this month, three Cardinals achieved MAC Weekly Honors: senior Ellie Dunn with the offensive award, junior Kate Avila on the defensive end, and junior Amber Seaman named setter of the week. The trio swept the accolades just three weeks ago.

“It just shows how hard we play and how much we put into our game,” Seaman said. “The coaching staff has been a crucial part of our growth and development and their direction has been key to getting us to where we’re at.”

While offense has been a major contributor to the Cardinals success this season, last weekend saw huge performances from the back row. Avila and Dunn lead the way with freshman Cathryn Starck not far behind.

“The depth on this team has been a huge part of our game this season,” Miller said. “When you’re playing night after night and have players who are tired or hurting, it’s nice knowing that we always have another person who’s on the bench and ready to jump into the game and play their part.”

In their last match alone, the Cardinals saw kills from eight out of 13 players on the roster and three of the five without kills tallied over nine digs. Those numbers include both the rookies and the veterans of the team. 

“We’re never satisfied with where we’re at,” Seaman said. “We are constantly making that effort to get better and continue improving in every aspect of our game, individually and as a team. It’s nice to get recognition, but at the end of the day we still have to fight for that championship.”

The Cardinals will be in action on Friday in Mount Pleasant against Central Michigan at 7 p.m. 

Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on Twitter @gabiglassbsu

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