Friday, September 16
Lincoln, Neb.
10:00 AM
Creighton University
5-5
3
vs
0
Gonzaga
6-2
1
2
3
F
Gonzaga
21
21
16
0
Creighton
25
25
25
3
Megan Ballenger
Photo by: Steve Branscombe
Volleyball Evens Record With Sweep Over Gonzaga
9/16/2016 12:28:00 PM | Volleyball
Megan Ballenger had 13 kills and three aces on .579 hitting
LINCOLN, Neb. – Redshirt freshman Megan Ballenger had 13 kills on .579 hitting as Creighton Volleyball swept Gonzaga on Friday morning to begin play at the Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln, Neb.
Creighton improved to 5-5 with the 25-21, 25-21, 25-16 victory. Gonzaga, which hadn't trailed during a match all season, fell to 6-2 with the loss.
Ballenger did a little bit of everything in the first set for Creighton, finishing with six kills in six swings, and adding three digs, two aces, a block and an assist. After falling behind 4-1 early, CU fought back to tie the score at six and take its first lead at 10-9. CU steadily pulled away. Lauren Smith had consecutive blocks to make it 18-14, and Smith would later pound a kill on set point for the 25-21 victory. CU hit .244 in the first set as Lydia Dimke distributed 16 assists.
Creighton followed a similar pattern in set two, breaking free from a close set midway through. Ballenger continued her red-hot start with three kills in a 4-0 run to push the margin to 17-13. Gonzaga got within one at 18-17 and 21-20, but CU answered with a 3-0 run to get to set point and closed it out on a Smith kill. Ballenger had six more kills in the second set and CU hit .297 in the second frame.
The Bluejays fell behind 7-3 early in the third set but regrouped after a quick timeout from head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Trailing 10-7, Jaali Winters served up a 6-0 run and CU would not trail again. The spurt included one ace and three kills by fellow sophomore Taryn Kloth. Marysa Wilkinson later supplied three kills in four points as CU's lead ballooned to 18-14. An attack from Dimke closed out CU's third sweep of the fall.
Creighton hit .336 in the early match, which started at 10 am in Lincoln. Dimke distributed 41 assists and added seven digs and five kills, making her one of six Bluejays with at least five kills. Ballenger's 13 kills and .579 hitting led CU, but she also added a career-high three aces to her five digs, four assists and two blocks. Brittany Witt led all players with 11 digs, while Lincoln natives Smith and Wilkinson each added three blocks. Smith also had season-highs with her nine kills and .533 hitting.
CU dominated the statistical categories, leading 53-33 in kills, .336 - .208 in hitting percentage, 5-1 in aces, 45-37 in digs and 6-2 in blocks.
Gonzaga was led by McKayla Ferris, who was held to nine kills. Faith Smith led GU with 15 assists and eight digs.
Creighton returns to action later today at 5 pm when it takes on Montana State. That match will not be video webcast, but can be heard on 1180 AM (KZOT) in Omaha.
Creighton improved to 5-5 with the 25-21, 25-21, 25-16 victory. Gonzaga, which hadn't trailed during a match all season, fell to 6-2 with the loss.
Ballenger did a little bit of everything in the first set for Creighton, finishing with six kills in six swings, and adding three digs, two aces, a block and an assist. After falling behind 4-1 early, CU fought back to tie the score at six and take its first lead at 10-9. CU steadily pulled away. Lauren Smith had consecutive blocks to make it 18-14, and Smith would later pound a kill on set point for the 25-21 victory. CU hit .244 in the first set as Lydia Dimke distributed 16 assists.
Creighton followed a similar pattern in set two, breaking free from a close set midway through. Ballenger continued her red-hot start with three kills in a 4-0 run to push the margin to 17-13. Gonzaga got within one at 18-17 and 21-20, but CU answered with a 3-0 run to get to set point and closed it out on a Smith kill. Ballenger had six more kills in the second set and CU hit .297 in the second frame.
The Bluejays fell behind 7-3 early in the third set but regrouped after a quick timeout from head coach Kirsten Bernthal Booth. Trailing 10-7, Jaali Winters served up a 6-0 run and CU would not trail again. The spurt included one ace and three kills by fellow sophomore Taryn Kloth. Marysa Wilkinson later supplied three kills in four points as CU's lead ballooned to 18-14. An attack from Dimke closed out CU's third sweep of the fall.
Creighton hit .336 in the early match, which started at 10 am in Lincoln. Dimke distributed 41 assists and added seven digs and five kills, making her one of six Bluejays with at least five kills. Ballenger's 13 kills and .579 hitting led CU, but she also added a career-high three aces to her five digs, four assists and two blocks. Brittany Witt led all players with 11 digs, while Lincoln natives Smith and Wilkinson each added three blocks. Smith also had season-highs with her nine kills and .533 hitting.
CU dominated the statistical categories, leading 53-33 in kills, .336 - .208 in hitting percentage, 5-1 in aces, 45-37 in digs and 6-2 in blocks.
Gonzaga was led by McKayla Ferris, who was held to nine kills. Faith Smith led GU with 15 assists and eight digs.
Creighton returns to action later today at 5 pm when it takes on Montana State. That match will not be video webcast, but can be heard on 1180 AM (KZOT) in Omaha.
Team Stats
GON
CU
Kills
33
53
Errors
13
15
Attempts
96
113
Hitting %
.208
.336
Points
36.0
64.0
Assists
31
49
Aces
1
5
Blocks
2.0
6.0
Game Leaders
Kills
13
Aces
3
Blocks
2
Kills
11
Aces
1
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
MB/RS
/ Volleyball
S
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ VolleyballMB
/ Volleyball
MB/RS
/ VolleyballOH/RS
/ Volleyball
DS
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