Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Hosts Buffalo Tuesday to Open MAC Tournament
November 13, 2006 | Women's Volleyball
The Week Ahead:
The No. 6-seeded Ball State women's volleyball team will open action in the 2006 Mid-American Conference Tournament Tuesday, with a 7 p.m. home match versus No. 11-seeded Buffalo . . . With a victory, BSU will advance to the quarterfinals to play No. 3 seed Bowling Green at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio . . . If Ball State were to win its quarterfinal match Friday, it would play in the 5 p.m. semifinal match Saturday . . . The 2006 MAC Tournament Championship match is scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday.
2006 Mid-American Conference Tournament Schedule
Tuesday, November 14 (at campus sites)
Match #1 No. 12 Akron at No. 5 Western Michigan 7 p.m.
Match #2 No. 11 Buffalo at No. 6 Ball State 7 p.m.
Match #3 No. 10 Toledo at No. 7 Central Michigan 7 p.m.
Match #4 No. 9 Kent State at No. 8 Eastern Michigan 7 p.m.
Friday, November 17 (SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio)
Match #5 No. 2 Northern Illinois vs. Winner Match #3 11 a.m.
Match #6 No. 3 Bowling Green vs. Winner Match #2 1:30 p.m.
Match #7 No. 4 Miami vs. Winner Match #1 5 p.m.
Match #8 No. 1 Ohio vs. Winner Match #4 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, November 18 (SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio)
Match #9 Winner Match #5 vs. Winner Match #6 5 p.m.
Match #10 Winner Match #7 vs. Winner Match #8 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 19 (SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio)
Match #11 Winner Match #9 vs. Winner Match #10 1 p.m.
BSU in the MAC Tournament: The 2006 Mid-American Conference Tournament marks the 16th-straight MAC Tournament appearance for the Cardinals . . . Ball State enters the tournament as the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 seed Buffalo in first-round action Tuesday.
Last Year at the MAC Tournament: As the No. 3 seed in the 2005 installment of the event, BSU advanced to its 15th-straight semifinal match with a quarterfinal victory over No. 6 seed Miami . . . BSU advanced to the finals for the ninth time in school history with a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind upset of No. 2 seed Eastern Michigan in the semifinals . . . BSU would fail to capture the tournament title however, falling to No. 1 seed and then-No. 21-ranked Ohio in the championship match.
MAC Tournament Record: After posting a 2-1 record in 2005, Ball State is a combined 25-11 (.694) all-time in MAC Tournament matches . . . Both BSU's 25 wins and 36 matches played are league records . . . Overall, Ball State is 1-0 in first round matches, 9-0 in quarterfinal matches, 9-8 in semifinal matches and 6-3 in championship matches . . . Ball State has more tournament wins (25) than 10 schools have matches played . . . Miami (30 matches) and Western Michigan (29 matches) are the only schools to play in more matches than BSU has wins . . . For Ball State's All-Time MAC Tournament Results, please see page four.
BSU Holds the Edge in MAC All-Tournament Selections: With Amanda McCormick and Sarah Obras being named to the 2005 MAC All-Tournament Team, the Cardinals have placed at least one player on the squad every year since 1991, 15-straight years . . . Since the inception of the all-tournament team in 1989, BSU has received the most selections, being honored 24 times among 16 players . . . In addition, Ball State holds the edge in tournament Most Valuable Players with six.
All-Time All-Tournament Selections 1. Ball State 24 selections (6 Most Valuable Players)
3. Bowling Green 13 selections (1 Most Valuable Players)
4. Western Michigan 10 selections (2 Most Valuable Players)
T-5. Ohio 7 selections (3 Most Valuable Players)
T-5. Northern Illinois 7 selections (2 Most Valuable Players)
T-7. Akron 5 selections
T-7. Eastern Michigan 5 selections
T-7. Kent State 5 selections
10. Central Michigan 4 selections
11. Toledo 2 selection
12. Buffalo 0 selections
Ball State's All-Time MAC All-Tournament Team
Name Year
Amanda McCormick 2005
Sarah Obras 2005, 2004
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Last Week: Ball State locked up the No. 6 seed in the 2006 MAC Tournament after ending the regular season with a 11-17 (8-8 MAC) record . . . BSU opened the week Friday with a 3-0 (30-27, 30-28, 30-28) sweep of Eastern Michigan . . . On Saturday, the Cardinals scored a hard-fought 3-2 (27-30, 30-26, 28-30, 30-27, 15-7) win over Central Michigan.
Ball State vs. Buffalo: Ball State has won all 10 previous meetings with the Bulls, including a 3-0 (30-28, 31-29, 30-21) victory earlier this season (Sept. 30) . . . In fact, Buffalo has only won one game (1-30) versus the Cardinals, scoring a 30-25 second-game victory over Ball State on Oct. 1, 2005 . . . Buffalo is 0-6 all-time in matches played in Worthen Arena . . . Tuesday's contest with the Bulls will mark the first MAC Tournament match between the two squads.
About the Cardinals: Ball State enters Tuesday's contest with an 11-17 (8-8 MAC) record after posting a pair of league wins last week . . . Freshman Julie Breivogel currently paces the Cardinals with a 3.45 kills-per-game average, while senior Kelly Cochran is second at 3.14 . . . Senior Amanda McCormick anchors the BSU defense, averaging a NCAA-best 7.78 digs per game . . . Kirby Gibson is Ball State's top active blocker, averaging 0.79 blocks per game, while Angie Parrell and Cassie Conner both see time as the team's setter, averaging 9.59 and 5.60 assists per game, respectively . . . As a team, the Cardinals average 14.14 kpg, 12.91 apg, 19.15 dpg and 2.33 bpg . . . BSU's opponents are averaging 15.46 kpg, 14.45 apg, 20.04 dpg and 2.18 bpg.
About the Bulls: Buffalo enters the 2006 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 14-19 (3-13 MAC) record . . . Last week, Buffalo suffered a pair of league road losses . . . The Bulls fell at Western Michigan 0-3 (24-30, 21-30, 24-30) Friday, before losing at Northern Illinois 0-3 (23-30, 22-30, 21-30) Saturday . . . Jenna Mape currently paces Buffalo with a 3.41 kills-per-game average, while Nikki Morzenti is second at 3.35 . . . Lizaiha Garcia anchors the UB defense with a 4.60 digs-per-game average . . . Alyssa Fitchette is the Bulls' top active blocker, averaging 1.06 blocks per game, while Brandie Clark is the team's main setter averaging 10.48 assists per game . . . As a team, the Bulls average 13.55 kpg, 12.21 apg, 14.49 dpg and 2.37 bpg . . . Buffalo's opponents average 14.56 kpg, 13.46 apg, 15.54 dpg and 1.89 bpg.
Ball State versus Buffalo Earlier in the Year: In Ball State's 3-0 (30-28, 31-29, 30-21) Sept. 30 victory at Buffalo, three Cardinals recorded double-figure kills, paced by Kelly Cochran's 15 . . . Cochran would also collect a double-double in the match with 17 digs . . . Julie Breivogel and Brittany May where the other BSU players to smash double-figure kills with 11 and 10, respectively . . . Defensively, Amanda McCormick paced all players with 21 digs . . . Jenna Mape and Nikki Morzenti each tallied 12 kills for the Bulls, with Morzenti adding 10 digs for a double-double . . . Lizaiha Garcia led Buffalo with 17 digs.
MAC Tournament on the Radio: For the fourth-straight season Ball State's student radio station WCRD 91.3 FM is slated to bring you all the Cardinals' action in the Mid-American Conference Tournament . . . Eric Ryan will serve as the play-by-play analyst for the station, while Lauren Bielenberg and Kelly Schroering will provide the color commentary . . . The trio has covered all of BSU's home matches and several of the team's away contests already this year . . . Fans who can not attend the matches and do not live in the Muncie area can still listen to the action by visiting the WCRD web site (www.wcrd.net) and clicking on the LISTEN NOW!!! button.
Cochran Reaches Milestone: At the 15-14 mark of the opening frame in BSU's sweep of Eastern Michigan last Friday, senior Kelly Cochran smashed her second of 15 kills on the evening to become only the third player in BSU history to record 1,200 kills and 1,200 digs in a career at Ball State . . . One of only five student-athletes in school annals to enter the 1,000/1,000 Club, Cochran finished the weekend having amassed 1,230 kills and 1,281 digs in her four seasons with BSU (2003-06) . . . She currently ranks seventh and fourth, respectively, in those categories in BSU history . . . Prior to Cochran, only Sarah Obras (1,975 kills/1,652 digs) and Megan Hammons (1,827 kills/1,204 digs) had finished their careers at Ball State in the 1,200/1,200 Club.
Keeping the Playing Streak Alive: By playing in all eight games for the Cardinals this weekend, Cochran broke into the top 10 in games played in BSU annals at 438 . . . Cochran is two games back of the No. 9 slot, and 23 shy of the top five . . . Over her career, Cochran has played in all 123 matches for BSU, while seeing action in 438 of a possible 457 games.
McCormick Sets Single-Season Mark: With 78 digs in BSU's two matches last week, senior libero Amanda McCormick raised her season digs total to a Ball State and Mid-American Conference single-season record 801 . . . The previous record was 758 set by Stephanie Keller in 2003 . . . Entering the season, only two players in NCAA Division I history had tallied 800 digs in a season, with Minnesota's Paula Gentil posting a NCAA-record 924 in 2004 and Oral Roberts' Becky Dreher scoring 821 in 2004.
McCormick Builds Towards 2,300: With 78 digs in BSU's two matches last weekend, Amanda McCormick upped her career digs total to 2,246 . . . In her two seasons with the Cardinals (2005-06), McCormick has logged 1,528 digs to rank third on BSU's all-time list . . . Prior to joining the Cardinals, McCormick tallied 718 digs in two seasons at Nebraska (2003-04) to give her a current career total of 2,168 . . . According to the NCAA Division I Record Book, McCormick's 2,246 career digs would tie for sixth in NCAA history . . . Only three players have recorded over 2,300 digs in a career, with Hartford's Kim Diehlmann holding the all-time record with 2,780 digs from 1989 to 1992.
McCormick on Pace to Shatter NCAA Record: After averaging 9.75 digs-per-game in BSU's two matches last week, Amanda McCormick upped her NCAA-leading dpg average to an astonishing 7.78 . . . McCormick, who is on pace to become just the second player in NCAA Division I history to record over 7.00 digs-per-game in a season, has posted a 10.0-or-better average in five of BSU's last seven matches, seven times this season and nine times in her career . . . Her highest single-match average came last Friday when she logged 39 digs in a three-game win over Eastern Michigan for a 13.00 average . . . In 2004, Oral Roberts' Becky Dreher ended the year with a 7.02 digs-per-game average . . . The BSU and Mid-American Conference single-season mark is 6.32 set by McCormick last season.
McCormick Continues Her School-Record Streak: With 30-plus digs in each of BSU's matches last week, Amanda McCormick has now recorded 30-or-more digs in a school-record seven-straight matches . . . The previous school record was three matches held by McCormick and Stephanie Keller (2001-2004) . . . During the streak, McCormick has recorded 251 digs in 26 games for a 9.65 digs-per-game average . . . She collected 30 digs at EMU (Oct. 21), 40 digs at NIU (Oct. 27), 34 digs at WMU (Oct. 28), 38 digs versus Akron (Nov. 2), 31 digs at Toledo (Nov. 4), 39 digs versus EMU (Nov. 10) and 39 digs versus CMU (Nov. 11).
Breivogel Leading the Pack: Freshman outside attacker Julie Breivogel continues to lead the team with a 3.46 kills-per-game average . . . One of only two players to see action in all of BSU's 103 games, Breivogel has amassed 355 kills so far this season and is hitting at a .186 clip . . . She also leads the team with 390.0 points, while adding 156 digs, 37 total blocks and nine aces . . . Breivogel has paced the Cardinals in kills a team-best 15 times, while racking up double-figure kills in a team-high 20 contests.
Breivogel with the Winner: Freshman Julie Breivogel proved to be a clutch player over last weekend, smashing the winning kill in five of BSU's six game victories . . . Breivogel would collect the match-winning kill in both contest, while providing all three game-winners versus Eastern Michigan and the game four and five winners versus Central Michigan.
Gibson Climbing The Blocks Chart: Senior opposite side/middle attacker Kirby Gibson enters the week ranked 16th on BSU's career charts with 255 total blocks . . . Her 210 career block assists rank 17th on BSU's all-time list, while her 0.70 blocks-per-game average is 20th among players with at least 200 total blocks.
Second Time is the Charm: While she was not listed on the official senior day program, Stephanie Bacan made the most of her second senior night as a Cardinal, recording a career-high 18 digs in Saturday's win over the Chippewas . . . Bacan had originally decided to "retire" from college volleyball and graduate with her original class last season . . . However, midway through the 2006 season, Bacan decided to rejoin the team utilizing a medical redshirt that was granted to her after her freshman campaign in 2002 . . . Last season, Bacan was limited to five digs and a service ace in her original senior night versus Western Michigan (Oct. 29, 2005) . . . Both matches were wins for the Cardinals.
Breaking Down The Record: Overall, the Cardinals are 5-11 in three-game sweeps, 1-4 in four-set matches and 5-2 in five-game sets . . . On the year, BSU has tallied a 41-62 (.398) game record . . . In games played to 30 points, BSU has limited its opponent to under 20 points five times, while being held to less than 20 points in 14 frames.
.500-or-better: In order to finish the 2006 season with a .500-or-better record, BSU would have to win all four MAC Tournament matches and at least three matches in the NCAA Tournament.
What to Watch for This Week: Ball State is a combined 10-0 in first-round and quarterfinal MAC Tournament matches . . . Ball State has never played Buffalo in the MAC Tournament . . . Buffalo is 0-2 in its only two MAC Tournament matches . . . The last time BSU had to play a first-round MAC Tournament match was in 2003, when the Cardinals scored a 3-0 (30-21, 30-22, 30-26) victory over Miami at Worthen Arena.
Megan Hammons 2001, 1998
Susie Meshberger 2000, 1999
Julie Zylka 2000
Emily Sallee 1999 (MVP), 1997
Mindy Stanley 1996, 1995
Wendy Carter 1995 (MVP)
Cassy Herode 1994, 1993 (MVP)
Carin Zielinski 1994 (MVP)
Lisa Hadorn 1993
April Hoeltke 1992 (MVP)
Sharon Knecht 1992
Stephanie Decker 1991
