Ball State University Athletics
Brandl Earns MAC West Offensive Player Of The Week Honors
November 16, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After helping the Cardinals secure the No. 8 seed and hosting rights in the first round of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament, Ball State sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) has been named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week.
Brandl also earned MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 26. She is the only West Division player to earn the honor twice this season.
"Kelsey was the catalyst in our two victories last week," said Ball State head coach Dave Boos. "On offense, she shined with a .529 attack percentage and led the team in kills both nights. On defense, she was a major presence at the net logging 1.38 blocks per game to help shut down our opponent's attackers. Kelsey is playing at a very high level right now, and our team is feeding off of her."
In last Thursday's win over Toledo, Brandl smashed a match-high 14 kills while hitting .522 (14-2-23). In addition, she paced all players with six total blocks.
In Saturday's thrilling five-set win at Akron, Brandl blasted a team-best 16 kills while hitting for an impressive .536 (16-1-28) rate of success. She also added a match-best five blocks versus the Zips.
For the week, Brandl averaged team-highs of 3.75 kills and 1.38 blocks per set. She also finished the week hitting .529 (30-3-51), which was more than double the team's average of .252 for the two matches.
Entering Tuesday's MAC Tournament showdown with Akron, Brandl ranks second in the conference with a .366 attacking percentage in league-only matches. Her 3.65 points per set in league play has her ranked ninth in the MAC, with her being the only middle blocker on the list.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to action tomorrow, when it hosts Akron in the first round of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
