Sports
MAC Volleyball Tournament Update
< < Back to mac-volleyball-tournament-updateNo. 5 Western Michigan 3, No. 4 Ball State 1
(25-12, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24)
Western Michigan dominated Ball State in the opening set of the match by being more effective with their offense. Ball State struggled at the net early only, hitting a low.073 clip and having multiple miscommunications on the court. The Falcons found a rhythm in set three though, gaining an early lead and never relinquishing it. Ball State hit at .442 and committed only one error in that set.
Western Michigan ultimately found their way to a victory after a tough-fought fourth and final set. The Broncos found themselves down all the way until a 17-all tie. From there, Western Michigan gained its first lead of the match and held it until the last points of the match. Ball State battled back to hold set point 24-23, but the Broncos rattled off three straight points to seal the victory.
Freshman middle blocker Sydney LeMay, who recorded a team-high 14 kills and 2 blocks, led Western Michigan. Ball State was led at the net by red-shirt sophomore Sabrina Mangapora. The outside hitter recorded 14 kills on the night with seven coming in the third set alone.
Western Michigan will face the No. 1 Ohio Bobcats Sunday at 5:30 p.m. in a semifinal match.
No. 3 Miami 3, No. 7 Kent State 0
(25-18, 25-17, 25-18)
While the scores may not accurately represent the strong competition, the Miami Redhawks and Kent State Golden Flashes both put forth strong efforts in Saturday’s match. The match had continuous changes in momentum, and final set that consisted of ten lead changes.
What gave Miami a slight edge was side out success rate. The team boasted a 65 percent side out percentage compared to Kent State’s 46.
Each set seemed to unfold the same for the Golden Flashes. They would keep up with the Redhawks throughout each set until about a halfway point tie. From there, Miami was able to put together significant runs that kept them just out of reach.
This was the exact case in set three. Kent State looked like they were capable of extending the match to four, staying with Miami up until a 17-all tie. Momentum would then shift in favor of the Redhawks as they ended the match on an 8-1 run.
Senior middle blocker Liz Reikow led the Golden Flashes in her final match with 12 kills and four blocks. For Miami, junior outside hitter Annie Reiswig and freshman outside hitter Olivia Rusek led the Redhawk effort. Both finished with 12 kills and hit above the .400 mark.
Miami will face the No. 2 Northern Illinois Huskies Sunday at 7:30 p.m. in the a semifinal match.