OXFORD, Ohio—In a gritty five-set battle where four sets were decided by three or fewer points, the Miami University volleyball team pulled out a 25-13, 23-25, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13 win against Ball State University on Tuesday night at Millett Hall. Miami picked up a key win to move to 11-8 on the season and in Mid-American Conference play, while the Cardinals dropped to 8-11.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Miami used a 13-1 run spurred by a trio of kills from senior Sarah Wojick and a pair of service aces from senior Abigail Huser to take a commanding 17-5 lead in the first set. The RedHawks hit a solid .333 in the opening set to cruise to a 25-13 win.
- The second set was a much closer battle. The Cardinals led by as many as four, the last at 18-14. Miami chiseled away and closed within one at 18-17, 21-20 and 24-23, but Ball State took the second set off a kill to even the match at one set apiece.
- In the third set, the teams went back and forth through the early goings. The Cardinals pushed their lead to four, the last coming at 18-14. Miami battled back and used a 6-1 run that included a pair of kills from junior Sophie Riemersma and a service ace from junior Gaby Harper to take a 21-20 lead. BSU, however, came back to take the third set, 25-22.
- A block by seniors Avarie Powell and Morgan Seaman put the RedHawks up 10-9. Miami pushed its lead to 20-14, but the Cardinals clawed their way back to close within two a few times down the stretch, the last at 24-22. A Wojick kill clinched the fourth set for the RedHawks and sent the match to a deciding set, 25-22.
- Miami used a 4-1 spurt that included a key service ace from Wojick to push ahead to an 8-5 advantage in the fifth set. Ball State came back to take a 10-9 lead. The teams traded punches until two big kills and a block from Wojick lifted Miami to a 15-13 set-five win to seize the match.
NOTES:
- Four RedHawks were in double figures for kills, led by Riemersma with 18 and followed by Harper (15), Wojick (15) and Powell (13).
- Seaman recorded 53 assists, the fifth time this season she has had 50 or more assists.
- Huser paced Miami with 17 digs, while Harper was the other RedHawk in double figures for digs with 15.
- Powell had four blocks for Miami, while Wojick tallied a career-high three solo blocks.
UP NEXT:
Miami hits the road for a pair of weekend matches at Central Michigan to close out the regular season. The RedHawks face CMU at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 26 and at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 27.