(BALL STATE RELEASE)
BUFFALO, N.Y. - - The Ball State women's volleyball program pushed its winning streak versus Mid-American Conference opponents to 12 matches Thursday night with a dominating 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-16) victory at Buffalo's Alumni Arena.
In another solid all-around performance, the Cardinals (3-0, 3-0 MAC) offense connected for a season-high .345 (38-8-87) rate of success while the defense limited the Bulls (0-3, 0-3 MAC) to a .158 (30-15-95) attack percentage.
"I thought we played with good confidence on our side, and once we settled down early on, we were able to find a good rhythm on both offense and defense," said acting head coach Fritz Rosenberg. "Our defense started making some great digs to extend rallies and created some really good transition offense from our front row."
Freshman setter Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown), the reigning MAC West Division Setter of the Week, and redshirt sophomore Esther Grussing (Willmar, Minn./Willmar) combined to set up the offense, handing out 16 and 17 assists, respectively. Their effort led the Cardinals to the .345 attack percentage, which is the team's best hitting mark over the current 12-match winning streak over league opponents.
They also helped six different Cardinals record at least three kills, paced by sophomore opposite Natalie Mitchem's (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) match-high 10 kills. Classmate Natalie Risi (Clarkston, Mich./Notre Dame Preparatory) was not far behind with nine.
In addition to her 10 kills, Mitchem hit a career-best .500 (10-2-16), while Risi hit a season-best .381 (9-1-21).
In the backcourt, sophomore libero Maggie Huber (Loveland, Ohio/Ursuline Academy) had another big night with 17 digs. She also handed out three assists. Sophomore Chloe Rickenbach (Avon, Ind./Avon) also collected double-digit digs with 10, while serving up a pair of aces.
"Maggie made some really good digs to help set the tone for our defense," Rosenberg added. "She helped us get going midway through the first set, and we never looked back."
Ball State and Buffalo will square off again Friday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first serve at Alumni Arena. The match will once again be streamed live on YouTube and live stats will be available at UBBulls.com.
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