MAC Volleyball Tournament Central
Ball State Head Coach Steve Shondell - VIDEO
Ball State's Kelsey Brandl - VIDEO
Ball State def. Eastern Michigan, 3-1
Boxscore
GENEVA, Ohio - - The No. 4 seed Ball State women's volleyball team advanced to the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-8, 27-25) victory over No. 5 Eastern Michigan Friday morning.
The Cardinals, who improve to 24-6 overall this season, will play the winner of No. 1 Northern Illinois and No. 8 Bowling Green in Saturday's 2:30 p.m. semifinal match.
While the defense came up big, out-digging Eastern Michigan 94-78 in the match, it was the play of senior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl that guided BSU to the victory. With Ball State trailing by a set and 7-4 in the second frame, Brandl blasted four kills and an ace over the next eight rallies to give Ball State the momentum.
Brandl finished the match with a season-high 21 kills and hit for a .486 (21-3-37) rate of success. She also blasted a match-best five aces to help BSU hold a 9-3 edge in team aces. Brandl's three total blocks were also a team-high.
Senior Catie Fredrich led the BSU backcourt and tied for match-high honors with 22 digs, while three players finished the match with double-doubles; Kara Bates (14 kills / 20 digs), Kylee Baker (12 kills / 17 digs) and Brittany McGinnis (54 assists / 18 digs).