Ball State University Athletics
WVB Hosts Bowling Green & Miami This Weekend
October 22, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
► HOME SWEET HOME: After playing five of its last six matches on the road, the Ball State women's volleyball team returns to Worthen Arena for a pair of Mid-American Conference matches this weekend . . . BSU hosts East Division foes Bowling Green Friday and Miami Saturday . . . Both contests start at 7 p.m.
► WATCH LIVE: Both matches this weekend will be streamed live by ballstatesports.com . . . Friday, BSU Sports Link will webcast the contest versus Bowling Green free of charge . . . Saturday, the Ball State Sports Network will televise the match live on WIPB in Muncie, as well as stream the match live as part of the Ball State All-Access package, with subscriptions starting at $9.95 a month . . . The purchase of a one-month pass will also give fans access to the Nov. 12 match versus Toledo which will also be carried live by the BSSN . . . WCRD 91.3 FM will also webcast both matches live and online free of charge at ballstatesports.com.
► AT THE HALFWAY MARK: Saturday's match at Ohio marked the halfway point of the 2009 MAC season . . . The Cardinals enter the last half of MAC play with a 3-5 league mark, which is tied for eighth overall with Toledo . . . If the regular season ended today, the Cardinals would host the Rockets in first round MAC Tournament play thanks to its 3-2 win at UT Oct. 8 . . . Last season, BSU was 4-4 through the first half of the MAC season and finished with a 6-10 mark to earn the No. 7 seed in the tournament.
► BALL STATE IN MAC PLAY: Ball State enters the week with a 276-139 (.665) all-time record in league play, which ranks the Cardinals second in both wins and winning percentage . . . Western Michigan is the all-time leader in both categories with a 286-129 (.689) all-time MAC mark . . . Bowling Green is fifth on the list at 231-184 (.557), while Miami is third at 265-150 (.639).
► SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the week with a 10-11 (3-5 MAC) record after being swept at Kent State and at Ohio last week . . . Senior Alisha Green enters the week as BSU's top attacker with a 3.23 kills-per-set average, while sophomore Kelsey Brandl leads the team and ranks third in the league with a .349 attack percentage . . . Sophomore Brittany McGinnis has set the Ball State offense to a .210 rate of success this season, while producing a 9.21 assists-per-set average . . . Sophomore Kaylee Schembra leads the Cardinals backcourt with a 3.27 digs-per-set average, while Brandl is the team's top blocker averaging 0.93 blocks per set . . . As a team, BSU is averaging 12.53 kills, 14.16 digs and 1.82 blocks per set . . . The Cardinals' opponents are hitting .192, while averaging 11.79 kills, 12.81 digs and 1.73 blocks per set.
► SCOUTING BOWLING GREEN: The Falcons enter the week with an 8-15 (1-7 MAC) record after scoring a 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 25-18, 17-25, 15-8) home win over Eastern Michigan, before losing to Central Michigan 3-1 (25-17, 26-24, 23-25, 25-21) last week . . . Shari Luther is Bowling Green's top attacker with a 2.75 kills-per-set average and a .373 attack percentage . . . Allison Kearney has set the Falcons offense to a .222 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 10.35 assists per set . . . Alex Zlabis leads the team with a 3.50 digs-per-set average, while Luther is also the program's top blocker averaging 0.83 blocks per set . . . As a team, Bowling Green is averaging 12.95 kills, 13.10 digs and 1.63 blocks per set . . . The Falcons' opponents are hitting .256, while averaging 13.49 kills, 13.81 digs and 2.01 blocks per set.
► BSU VS. BGSU: Ball State holds a 34-15-1 advantage in the all-time series versus Bowling Green despite losing the last five meetings . . . Prior to the five-match losing streak, the Cardinals had won the previous 24 matches in the series . . . Last season, BGSU pulled out a 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 25-14, 20-25, 17-15) home victory over BSU Oct. 24 . . . Bowling Green is 7-15 all-time in Muncie, including a 2-12 Worthen Arena record.
► SCOUTING MIAMI: The RedHawks enter the week with an 11-9 (6-2 MAC) record after scoring home wins over Central Michigan 3-2 (17-25, 25-19, 25-14, 21-25, 15-13) and Eastern Michigan 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-21) last week . . . Maria Leahy is Miami's top attacker with a 3.07 kills-per-set average, while setter Andrea Atteberry paces the team with a .311 attack percentage . . . Atteberry has set the RedHawks offense to a .221 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 9.11 assists per set . . . Lisa Treadway leads the Miami backcourt with a 3.59 digs-per-set average, while Megan Griffin has a team-best 0.94 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, Miami is averaging 12.77 kills, 13.93 digs and 1.92 blocks per set . . . The RedHawks' opponents are hitting .204, while averaging 12.32 kills, 13.45 digs and 1.72 blocks per set.
► BSU VS. MIAMI: The Cardinals hold a 39-30 lead in the all-time series versus the RedHawks, including wins in 14 of the last 16 meetings . . . Last season, Ball State scored a thrilling 3-2 (26-24, 25-17, 17-25, 11-25, 18-16) victory over then-MAC East Division leading Miami in Oxford . . . The RedHawks are 12-19 all-time in Muncie, including a 5-11 record in Worthen Arena . . . The five wins in Worthen Arena are the most of any league school.
► RIO CLIMBS TO FIFTH: Junior libero/defensive specialist Alyssa Rio enters the week ranked fifth in program history with 1,259 career digs . . . Despite missing 12 matches due to injury, Rio has racked up 85 digs this season for a .266 digs-per-set average . . . Rio needs 51 more digs to pass Kelly Cochran (2003-06), who tallied 1,309 digs over her career, for fourth on BSU's all-time digs list.
► MORE ON RIO: Alyssa Rio has tallied double-figure digs in three matches this season, moving her career total to 59 . . . The 59 matches with double-figure digs ties for fifth in program history with Amanda McCormick (2005-06) . . . Rio, who posted a season-high 20 digs at Eastern Michigan (Oct. 3), is also third in program history with 29 matches with 20-or-more digs.
► SCHEMBRA CONTINUES TO SHINE: Continuing to play as the team's libero last week, sophomore Kaylee Schembra posted match-high dig totals in each of BSU's two outings last week . . . Friday at Kent State, she tallied 15 digs in three sets, four-more than KSU's Arjola Prenga . . . Saturday at Ohio, Schembra finished the night with a season-high 19 digs, which was nine more than Ohio's Meryl Benrer.
► SCHEMBRA DIGS IT: Kaylee Schembra has posted double-figure digs in a team-high 13 matches this season and 25 times over her career . . . After leading all players with 19 digs in Saturday's match at Ohio, Kaylee Schembra upped her career digs total to 534 . . . Schembra is one of only three active Cardinals to have at least 500 career digs, joining junior Alyssa Rio (1,259) and senior Julie Breivogel (668).
► GREEN KILLING IT: Senior outside attacker Alisha Green leads the Cardinals with double-figure kills in 13 matches so far this season . . . In two season's with Ball State, Green has tallied 556 kills, including 226 so far this season . . . Add in her 764 kills from two seasons at the University of Tampa and Green has smashed 1,320 kills over her collegiate career.
► SERVING IT UP: Ball State currently ranks second in the MAC with a 1.40 aces-per-set average . . . BSU has tallied 102 aces this season, with sophomore setter Brittany McGinnis leading the way with 23 . . . McGinnis is also tied for sixth in the league with her 0.32 average . . . In MAC-only matches, the Cardinals rank fifth in the league with a 1.13 average, with McGinnis holding the No. 9 slot individually at 0.33.
► KAKATOLIS BREAKS INTO TOP 20: With one block assists last weekend, senior opposite attacker Elaina Kakatolis moved into a tie with Karen Gladish (1984-87) for 20th on BSU's all-time total blocks chart with 236 . . . Kakatolis continues to rank 19th in program history with 215 career block assists, while her 730 career kills leave her 41 markers away from the top 20.
► BREIVOGEL EYES EIGHTH: Senior outside attacker Julie Breivogel, who recorded her 1,000th career kill versus Dayton (Aug. 29), enters the week ranked ninth in program history with 1,160 career kills after smashing 15 last week . . . She needs 40 more kills to pass Julie Zylka's (1998-2001) career total of 1,199 for eighth on BSU's all-time list.
►OVER THE AIR WAVES: The Ball State women's volleyball team has the most comprehensive radio package in the Mid-American Conference, as WCRD 91.3 FM will once again be the radio home of the Cardinals for the 2009 season . . . The station is slated to cover all 11 of the Cardinals home matches this season, as well as select road contests and all of BSU's 2009 MAC Tournament action . . . The state-of-the art WCRD studio will be the home of "Serving It Up" with Dave Boos, a weekly volleyball report which airs Monday nights from 7 to 8 p.m. beginning Aug. 31.
►ON THE TUBE: The Ball State Sports Network will televise a pair of BSU matches (Oct. 24 vs. Miami and Nov. 12 vs. Toledo) . . . In addition, Ball State Sports Link will webcast the Oct. 23 match vs. Bowling Green . . . The Oct. 23 match will be streamed for FREE on www.ballstatesports.com, while fans will need a Ball State All-Access account to watch the other two contests.
