It took five sets to settle it, but Ball State won the battle Saturday night in Akron, defeating the University of Akron 3-2. As fate would have it however, it's not over by a long shot. In defeating the Zips, the Cardinals earned the eight seed in the Mid-American Conference Tournament. Securing the eight seed sets up a showdown between the Cardinals and Zips at 7 p.m. tonight at Worthen Arena.
With two games left in the season, destiny was on Ball State University's (14-15, 7-9) side. Win both matches and the Cardinals earn the right to host a Mid-American Conference Tournament game Tuesday night. Lose one of the two matches and things could get messy.
Concerns about losing two junior starters in his infield to the MLB Draft in June led coach Greg Beals to focus on adding depth in his 2010 recruiting class.Beals said that in addition to All-Mid-American Conference second baseman Kolbrin Vitek, who is likely to be a high-round pick, shortstop T.J. Baumet could also be lost to the draft.
After sitting out last year with a medical redshirt, junior Ali Bishel was not about to let her shot at nationals slip away."I had already waited two years for this chance to advance to the championships," Bishel said. "I was not about to wait another year and leave with excuses."
Brandon Crawford and Tanner Justice may be two of the most unlikely senior starters in Ball State University history.The two will be among the 11 seniors honored before their final game at Scheumann Stadium on Wednesday against Central Michigan University.
Coach Laura Seibold-Caudill said her team likes the natatorium at IUPUI. Over the course of the House of Champions Invitational over the weekend, the women's swimming and diving team made its presence known, winning the invitational by almost 200 points."We had so much depth, that's what won it for us," Seibold-Caudill said.
News and notes from Ball State's 26-20 loss at Northern Illinois on Thursday night.
Sophomore Jarrod Jones leads Ball State with 19 points and five other Cardinals score more than 10 points. Ball State defeats Valparaiso 88-78 Friday night at Worthen Arena.
As the top finisher for Ball State University in her four races this year, redshirt junior Ali Bishel carried the cross country team on her back. Saturday, Bishel will again be asked to deliver as the lone representative for her team in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional hosted by Indiana University.
The season opener for the Cardinals didn't go as planned. While Michigan's Krista Phillips was held to only six points on six shots, it was the supporting cast that stepped up and provided the lift to give the Wolverines a convincing 20 point victory, 87-67.
The Cardinals open their season on the road with a 7 p.m. matchup tonight against the University of Michigan.
The Cardinals (1-0) were led by six players in double digits, including sophomore Jarrod Jones' 19 points.
Starting his first game as a Cardinal, Jauwan Scaife, a Muncie Central High School product, scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-4 from 3-point range in Ball State's 88-78 season-opening win over Valparaiso Friday night at Worthen Arena.
In the first set, the Cardinals faced an early hole when they found themselves down 17-12. But Ball State was eventually able to even the score at 22 and win the set 25-23, finishing the game on a 13-6 run. Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Brandl recorded seven kills in the first set, setting the tone for the Cardinals (13-15, 6-9 Mid-American Conference).
Ball State effectively limited the best rushing attack in the Mid-American Conference, holding Northern Illinois to 155 yards. But they weren't able to contain the balanced attack after Huskies' quarterback Chandler Harnish entered the game in the second half.
Ball State utilized a balanced offensive attack that saw increased success as the match went on. The Cardinals had a .184 attack percentage in the first set, a .227 percentage in the second set and a .317 rate in the third.
The Cardinals (13-15, 6-9 MAC) were led on offense by sophomore Kelsey Brandl's match-high 14 kills. Junior outside hitter Hannah Sullivan had 13 kills, while senior Alisha Green added 12 kills in her final regular season home match.Defensively for Ball State, junior libero Alyssa Rio had a match-best 23 digs.
The Cardinals, who finished 14-17 (7-9 MAC) last season, have history on their side for Friday night's game against the Crusaders.Ball State owns a 39-9 (.813) all-time record in home openers held in Muncie, including last season's 72-59 win over Eastern Illinois University to open the 2008-09 campaign.
Emotions will be high with it being the final regular season, and potentially the final home match, for seniors Alisha Green, Julie Breivogel and Elania Kakatolis, which could make for high-error volleyball, which is not something the Cardinals can afford to let happen.
