After a three-set win over the IUPUI Jaguars on Tuesday night, Ball State Women’s Volleyball (6-4, 0-0 MAC) heads to Towson, Maryland this weekend to participate in the Tiger Invitational hosted by Towson University. This will be the last regular season tournament on the schedule for the Cardinals.
Senior Ellie Dunn lead the team in kills, racking 135 thus far in the season, followed by junior Sydnee VanBeek with 92. But kills don’t happen without the set. Junior setter Amber Seaman has contributed 366 assists on the year and was awarded MAC West Division Setter of the week earlier in the season.
“Being an upperclassman comes with leadership responsibilities and helping guide your teammates to where they need to be,” Seaman said. “Becoming a leader is a learning experience, and I’ve been able to watch the seniors and those before me which has helped me to strive to be the best leader I can be for the team.”
In 2017, Seaman received a number of accolades, including Academic All-MAC, MAC Women’s Volleyball Distinguished Scholar Athlete, and All-MAC Honorable Mention. The junior also has 26 career assist/dig double-doubles.
“Amber does a really nice job of keeping our offense balanced,” head coach Kelli Miller said. “She never focuses too much on one hitter, which is key to our offense because we have so many players that can score.”
With her season-high of 53 assists against Indiana and the four kills she contributed against Missouri State, Seaman is a crucial part of the Cardinal offense. She attributes her growth from her underclassman years to her developed composure over her seasons as a Cardinal.
“I am far more composed now than I was when I first got here,” Seaman said. “I was very emotional during my first season. I am a very passionate person, especially when it comes to volleyball. I used to let it be debilitating, but now I force myself to remember that it’s not a life-or-death situation.”
Looking toward this weekend, Miller expects each team to put up a good fight, but she doesn’t want her team to focus too much on the opponents.
“The key is always to focus on us and what we need to do,” Miller said. “It’s another quick turnaround period, so we have to make sure that we are ready to go, because those teams are definitely going to be.”
UMBC Retrievers (3-6, 0-0 America East) suffered losses last week to Robert Morris and James Madison. The Retrievers currently sit at a .160 hitting percentage, while sophomore Carmen Freeman leads the team with 114 kills on the season.
The Towson Tigers (3-7, 0-0 CAA) hosted another invitational last weekend and losing to Princeton, Ohio State, Long Beach State, and the University of Missouri. The Tigers have a number of contributors, while sophomore setter Kristin Spengler leads the team in assists with 169, followed by junior Marrisa Wonders with 127.
The LaSalle Explorers (5-4, 0-0 A10) are led by junior outside hitter Devin Corah with 135 kills, the Explorers defended their home court and took down NJIT, Kent State, and Rider.
“I was happy with how we competed on Tuesday,” Miller said. “The match against IUPUI solidified my confidence that I am able to put anybody in the game and they are going to contribute.”
The Cardinals’ first match of the weekend will be Friday at 3:30 PM against the Retrievers.
Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on twitter @gabiglass
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