Ball State University Athletics
WVB To Face No. 1 Seed Ohio Friday In MAC Tournament
November 20, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
2009 MAC Tournament Website - Link
► GUNNING FOR NO. 1: The No. 8 seed Ball State women's volleyball team travels to the SeaGate Centre in Toledo, Ohio, Friday to battle No. 1 seed Ohio in quarterfinal play of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament . . . Match time is slated for 4:30 p.m. . . . The winner will advance to Saturday's 4:30 p.m. semifinal match to face the winner of the No. 4 Northern Illinois versus No. 5 Central Michigan quarterfinal match that starts at 11 a.m. Friday.
► BSU EARNS EIGHTH SEED: Ball State enters the quarterfinals of the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 15-15 (7-9 MAC) record . . . With its 7-9 league mark, the Cardinals earned the tournament's eighth seed . . . In first round action, the Cardinals eliminated No. 9 seed Akron, who finished league play with a 5-11 mark, with a 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-20) victory Tuesday night at Worthen Arena . . . With the win, Ball State advances to quarterfinal play, where it draws No. 1 seed Ohio who earned a bye in the first round by winning the MAC's Regular Season and East Division titles with a 15-1 league mark . . . Ohio finished the regular season with a 23-5 overall record.
► 19 AND COUNTING: Ball State opened its 19th-straight Mid-American Conference Tournament with a dominating sweep of Akron Tuesday night at Worthen Arena . . . With the win, BSU improved to 4-0 in first round matches played in Worthen Arena since 2003, when all teams were invited to play in the tournament . . . From 1987-1996, only the top four league teams participated in the tournament, while the field expanded to eight teams in 1997.
► AT HOME IN THE TOURNAMENT: Including a 3-0 first-round sweep of Akron Tuesday, Ball State is 17-1 all-time in MAC Tournament matches played in Worthen Arena, with its only loss coming in the 2003 semifinals versus eventual tournament champion Ohio . . . BSU has never lost a tournament-opening match at Worthen Arena, going 4-0 in first round matches, 6-0 in quarterfinal play and 1-0 in semifinal action . . . BSU claimed three MAC Tournament titles on the Worthen Arena hardwood floor (1994, 1999 and 2002), before the final three rounds were moved to a neutral site for the 2005 event.
► AT THE SEAGATE CENTRE: Since the SeaGate Centre became the host site for the final three rounds of the MAC Tournament in 2005, Ball State is 2-3 in tournament play in the building . . . Ohio is 11-1 on the SeaGate Centre court, including tournament championships in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
► ALL-TIME IN THE TOURNAMENT: After topping Akron in the first round of the 2009 MAC Tournament, Ball State is a combined 28-14 (.667) all-time in MAC Tournament matches . . . Both BSU's 28 wins and 42 matches played are league records . . . Overall, Ball State is 4-1 in first round matches, 9-2 in quarterfinal matches, 9-8 in semifinal matches and 6-3 in championship matches . . . Ball State has more tournament wins (28) than eight other MAC schools have matches played . . . Miami (36), Western Michigan (36) and Bowling Green (32) are the only schools to play in more tournament matches than BSU has wins.
All-Time MAC Tournament Record & Championships
Team Record Championships
1. Ball State 28-14 (.667) 6 (1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2002)
2. Miami 22-14 (.611) 6 (1980, 1981, 1990, 1996, 1998, 2007)
3. Western Michigan 20-16 (.556) 5 (1982, 1987, 1988, 1989, 2000)
4. Ohio 18-4 (.818) 6 (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008)
5. Northern Illinois 14-8 (.636) 2 (1997, 2001)
6. Bowling Green 15-17 (.469) 1 (1991)
7. Eastern Michigan 9-15 (.375) 0
8. Kent State 7-12 (.368) 0
9. Toledo 5-10 (.333) 0
10. Akron 4-13 (.235) 0
11. Central Michigan 5-19 (.208) 0
12. Buffalo 1-6 (.143) 0
► ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: The Cardinals placed at least one player on the MAC All-Tournament squad every year from 1991-2005, marking a league-record 15-straight seasons with an all-tournament honoree . . . 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 MAC All-Tournament Team Selections
Team Selections MVP
1. Ball State 24 6
2. Miami 20 4
3. Bowling Green 16 1
4. Ohio 14 5
5. Western Michigan 13 2
6. Northern Illinois 7 2
7. Kent State 6 0
8. Akron 5 0
Eastern Michigan 5 0
10. Central Michigan 4 0
11. Toledo 3 0
12. Buffalo 0 0
► VERSUS THE FIELD: Ball State holds a 212-149-1 record versus the remaining MAC Tournament field, including a 15-11 mark in tournament action and a 5-3 ledger in championship matches.
Ball State All-Time vs. Remaining MAC Tournament Field
Seed Team Overall Tourn. Champ. Streak
1. Ohio 31-12 0-3 0-1 L10
2. Western Michigan 36-37 2-1 1-1 L6
3. Miami 39-31 5-3 2-0 L1
4. Northern Illinois 24-25 1-3 0-1 W2
5. Central Michigan 34-28 0-1 0-0 W1
10. Buffalo 14-0 1-0 0-0 W14
11. Bowling Green 34-16-1 6-0 2-0 L6
212-149-1 15-11 5-3
► BSU VS. OHIO: Friday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal match marks the second meeting between the Cardinals and Bobcats this season . . . In the first meeting, Ohio scored a 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23) victory Oct. 17 in Athens . . . While Ball State maintains a 31-12 lead in the all-time series, the Bobcats have won the last 10 meetings since snapping a 26-match BSU winning streak in 2003 . . . Ohio also owns wins in the only three MAC Tournament meetings between the two squads, scoring sweeps in the 2008 quarterfinals, the 2005 championship match and the 2003 semifinals . . . On neutral courts, Ohio owns a 2-1 advantage, with both wins coming at the SeaGate Centre.
Ball State vs. Ohio in MAC Tournament Play
Date Round Results
11/18/08 Quarterfinals L, 0-3 (22-25, 22-25, 18-25)
11/20/05 Finals L, 0-3 (24-30, 25-30, 28-30)
11/22/03 Semifinals L, 0-3 (21-30, 20-30, 21-30)
► SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters Friday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal match with a 15-15 (7-9 MAC) record after posting a sweep of Akron in first round action at Worthen Arena . . . Senior Alisha Green enters the week as BSU's top attacker with a 2.88 kills-per-set average, while sophomore Kelsey Brandl leads the team and ranks second in the league with a .340 attack percentage . . . Sophomore Brittany McGinnis has set the Ball State offense to a .201 rate of success this season, while producing a 9.48 assists-per-set average . . . Junior Alyssa Rio leads the Cardinals backcourt with a 3.98 digs-per-set average, while Brandl is the team's top blocker averaging 0.94 blocks per set . . . As a team, BSU is averaging 12.57 kills, 14.76 digs and 1.98 blocks per set . . . The Cardinals' opponents are hitting .176, while averaging 11.72 kills, 13.27 digs and 1.75 blocks per set.
► SCOUTING OHIO: The Bobcats enter Friday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal match with a 23-5 (15-1 MAC) record . . . Ohio secured the No. 1 seed by winning the league's regular season championship . . . Ohio is currently on a six-match winning streak with its last loss coming Oct. 24 at Western Michigan . . . Ellen Herman is Ohio's top attacker with a 4.69 kills-per-set average, while Michelle Jantsch paces the team with a .372 attack percentage . . . Jantsch has also set the Bobcats offense to a .280 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 10.94 assists per set . . . Sarah Petrulis leads the Ohio backcourt with a 3.49 digs-per-set average, while Meghan Simons has a team-best 1.31 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, Ohio is averaging 14.15 kills, 12.43 digs and 2.80 blocks per set . . . The Bobcats' opponents are hitting .165, while averaging 11.05 kills, 11.91 digs and 1.60 blocks per set.
► ROUND 1: Despite holding statistical advantages in hitting, blocking and digging, the Cardinals suffered a narrow 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-23) setback in the first meeting with the Bobcats this season on Oct. 17 . . . Paced by 12 kills from Alisha Green, the Cardinals out-hit the Bobcats .257 (38-10.109) to .248 (49-16-133) in the contest . . . BSU also held a seven to three edge in team blocks, while out-digging Ohio 51 to 47 . . . Kaylee Schemba led the BSU defense with a match-high 19 digs, while Kelsey Brandl posted a match-best four total blocks . . . Ellen Herman was Ohio's top attacker with 15 kills, while Meghan Simons added 12 . . . Defensively, Meryl Bender posted a team-high 10 digs for the Bobcats.
► LOOKING AHEAD: With a win over Ohio in quarterfinal play, Ball State would advance to face the winner of No. 4 Northern Illinois vs. No. 5 Central Michigan in semifinal action Saturday at 4:30 p.m. . . . Ball State swept the regular season series with NIU, posting a 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-16) home win to open league play Sept. 25 and a 3-0 (25-22, 29-27, 25-19) road victory Oct. 31 . . . In the regular season series with CMU, both teams scored homecourt wins . . . The Chippewas rallied from two sets down to stun the Cardinals 3-2 (9-25, 25-27, 25-21, 25-23, 15-12) Oct. 2 . . . BSU rebounded with a 3-0 (26-24, 27-25, 25-8) victory Nov. 8 to split the season series . . . The MAC Tournament Championship match is set for Sunday (Nov. 22) at 3 p.m.
► BALL STATE VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS: After sweeping the regular season series, the Cardinals find themselves trailing NIU 24-25 in the all-time series . . . The Huskies also own a 3-1 advantage in MAC Tournament matches, including a 3-1 first round victory in 2007 which is the last tournament meeting between the two clubs . . . NIU also won the only championship match between the two clubs.
Ball State vs. Northern Illinois in MAC Tournament Play
Date Round Results
11/13/07 First Round L, 1-3 (20-30, 30-27, 19-30, 28-30)
11/19/04 Quarterfinals W, 3-2 (30-25, 29-31, 34-36, 30-28, 15-13)
11/24/01 Finals L, 0-3 (21-30, 17-30, 24-30)
11/27/98 Semifinals L, 1-3 (9-15, 11-15, 16-14, 9-15)
► SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies enter their MAC Tournament quarterfinal match versus Central Michigan with a 14-15 (8-8 MAC) record . . . NIU earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament by holding the tiebreaker of Central Michigan and Toledo, who also finished league play with 8-8 marks . . . Entering tournament play, the Huskies have lost four of their last five matches including a 3-0 (25-17, 29-27, 27-25) setback to Central Michigan in the regular season finale . . . Meagan Schoenrock is Northern Illinois' top attacker with a 3.90 kills-per-set average, while Cassie Yates paces the team with a .289 attack percentage . . . Kristin Hoffman has set a majority of NIU's MAC matches and has helped lead the team to a .218 attack percentage this season while dishing out 10.11 assists per set . . . Maddie Hughes leads the Huskies backcourt with a 5.01 digs-per-set average, while Yates has a team-best 0.72 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, Northern Illinois is averaging 13.35 kills, 15.61 digs and 1.83 blocks per set . . . The Huskies' opponents are hitting .225, while averaging 13.51 kills, 14.81 digs and 1.91 blocks per set.
► BALL STATE VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Cardinals snapped a five-match losing streak to the Chippewas with a 3-0 (26-24, 27-25, 25-8) victory at Worthen Arena Nov. 8 . . . Overall, the Cardinals maintain a 34-28 lead in the all-time series . . . In the lone MAC Tournament meeting, CMU posted a 3-1 victory over BSU in the 1982 semifinals . . . Central Michigan also holds a 5-3 edge in neutral site contests.
Ball State vs. Central Michigan in MAC Tournament Play
Date Round Results
11/12/82 Semifinals L, 1-3 (15-11, 11-15, 13-15, 5-15)
► SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN: The Chippewas enter their MAC Tournament quarterfinal match versus Northern Illinois with a 16-11 (8-8 MAC) record . . . CMU entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed after splitting a three-way tiebreaker with Northern Illinois . . . In first round action Tuesday, CMU earned a hard-fought 3-2 (25-18, 25-27, 25-23, 28-30, 16-14) victory over No. 12 seed Eastern Michigan . . . Overall, CMU has won its last two matches, including a 3-0 (25-17, 29-27, 27-25) sweep of Northern Illinois to end the regular season . . . Lauren Krupsky is Central Michigan's top attacker with a 3.67 kills-per-set average, while Kaitlyn Schultz paces the team with a .328 attack percentage . . . Stephanie Budde has set the Chippewas offense to a .203 attack percentage this season, while dishing out 10.04 assists per set . . . Alexis Lonneman leads the CMU backcourt with a 4.89 digs-per-set average, while Schultz has a team-best 0.83 blocks-per-set average . . . As a team, Central Michigan is averaging 13.07 kills, 15.80 digs and 1.83 blocks per set . . . The Chippewas' opponents are hitting .176, while averaging 11.33 kills, 14.61 digs and 2.08 blocks per set.
► STREAKING AT THE RIGHT TIME: Ball State enters MAC Tournament quarterfinal play with the second-longest active winning streak in the league at four matches . . . Ohio is the only team with a longer active streak at six . . . Overall, BSU has won five of its last six matches, with its only loss in the span being a five-set setback to Eastern Michigan (Nov. 6).
► CONTINUING THE STREAK: This is the second-four match winning streak the Cardinals have posted this season . . . The first came September 11-15, when the Cardinals swept four straight matches, including the entire field at the Best Western ISU Classic and a non-conference match versus IPFW.
► BY THE NUMBERS: Over the last six matches, the Ball State defense has come to life, limiting opponents to a .116 attack percentage . . . BSU has collected 17.36 digs per set over the span, while adding 2.55 blocks per set . . . On the offensive side, the Cardinals are hitting .217 during the span, while serving up 0.86 aces per set.
► SPEAKING OF DEFENSE: In the Nov. 8 win over Central Michigan, the Ball State defense limited the Chippewas to a season-low -.133 (21-36-113) attack percentage . . . The mark was the lowest for a BSU opponent in the rally-scoring era, bettering the previous mark of -.055 (13-17-73) versus Chicago State earlier this year (Sept. 11) . . . In the third set alone, the Ball State defense held CMU to a -.412 (2-16-34) hitting mark . . . The mark is the worst single-set hitting mark for an opponent in the rally-scoring era as well, with the previous worst mark being a -.325 (4-17-40) performance by Central Michigan in a 30-10 third-set loss at Worthen Arena Oct. 5, 2001.
► RIO PACING THE D: Junior libero Alyssa Rio continued her defensive explosion for the Cardinals Tuesday against Akron, racking up 23 digs for a 7.67 digs-per-set average . . . Rio has collected 20-or-more digs in four of BSU's last five matches, including a season-high 34 digs versus Eastern Michigan (Nov. 6) . . . With her solid effort in the BSU backcourt, Rio now ranks sixth in the league with a 3.98 digs-per-set average.
► MORE ON RIO: Alyssa Rio enters the week ranked fourth in program history with 1,437 career digs . . . She needs 143 more digs to pass Amanda McCormick's (2005-06) career total of 1,579 for third on BSU's all-time list . . . Rio also ranks third in program history with 20-or-more digs in 33 matches and in career digs-per-set average (4.76) . . . In addition, with her 23 digs versus Akron Tuesday, Rio passed Jennifer Schilling (1995-98) and Kelly Cochran (2003-06) for third on BSU's career charts for matches with double-figure digs at 68.
► BRANDL EARNS MAC WEEKLY HONOR: For the second time this season, Kelsey Brandl has been named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week . . . Brandl, who is the only West Division player to earn the award twice this season, averaged team-highs of 3.75 kills and 1.38 blocks per set last week . . . 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 . . . In last Thursday's win over Toledo, Brandl smashed a match-high 14 kills while hitting .522 (14-2-23) . . . 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 posted a match-high six blocks versus Toledo and a match-best five blocks versus the Zips.
► MORE ON BRANDL: Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Brandl enters Friday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal match versus Ohio ranked second in the league with a .340 attack percentage . . . A transfer from the University of Cincinnati, Brandl saw limited action in the first third of the season as she learned the BSU system . . . Starting with an eight-kill and .667 (8-0-12) hitting performance at Indiana State (Sept. 12), Brandl has been a mainstay at the net for the Cardinals . . . Including that performance, Brandl has hit .500-or-above eight times this season, while collecting double-digit kills in 10 contests . . . She has also racked up a team-best 82 total blocks for a 0.94 blocks-per-set average.
► BRANDL IN THE MAC: Kelsey Brandl ended league play ranked second in the conference with a .366 attacking percentage in league-only matches . . . Her 3.65 points-per-set average in league play has Brandl ranked ninth in the MAC, with her being the only middle blocker on the list.
► LEADING THE OFFENSE: Sophomore setter Brittany McGinnis has the Ball State offense operating at a .201 rate of success entering Friday's MAC Tournament showdown with Ohio . . . As a freshman last season, McGinnis took over an offense that connected for just a .095 hitting mark the year before . . . In her first year at the helm, McGinnis had the Cardinals connecting for a .183 mark at year's end . . . This season, BSU has improved even more, jumping above .200 for the first time since the 2004 campaign, when the team finished the year hitting .208.
► DISHING AND DIGGING: So far this season, Brittany McGinnis has tallied a team-leading six double-doubles on the year . . . In Tuesday's win over Akron, she handed out 33 assists and posted 12 digs . . . In last Saturday's five-set victory at Akron, McGinnis passed out a season-high 52 assists while posting 11 digs . . . McGinnis also collected assist-dig double-doubles versus IPFW (35 A, 15 D) Sept. 4, versus Bowling Green (50 A, 12 D) Oct. 23 and versus Eastern Michigan (50 A, 14 D) Nov. 6 . . . McGinnis also owns a kill-dig double-double, when she logged a career-high 11 kills and a season-best 16 digs as an emergency outside attacker versus Coastal Carolina (Aug. 29).
► GREEN LEADS THE OFFENSE PAST AKRON: With a team-best 11 kills in Tuesday's MAC Tournament first round victory over Akron, senior outside attacker Alisha Green continues to lead the team with double-figure kills in 16 matches so far this season . . . From Sept. 18 through Oct. 10, Green smashed double-figure markers in nine straight contests, including posting a Ball State career-high 19 kills at Central Michigan (Oct. 2) . . . Green, who has collected double-digit kills in each of BSU's last three wins, also leads the squad with a 2.88 kills-per-set average this year.
► SULLIVAN DOUBLES UP: In last Saturday's match at Akron, junior Hannah Sullivan smashed 14 kills while adding a season-best 18 digs for her second double-double of the year . . . Sullivan, who also scored 13 kills and five digs in Thursday's win over Toledo, has tallied double-doubles in two of BSU's last five contests.
► LAST SATURDAY'S SHOWDOWN WITH THE ZIPS: In last Saturday's victory over Akron, Ball State was able to spread out its offense, as five different players recorded double-figure kills . . . Kelsey Brandl led the Cardinals with 16 kills, while Hannah Sullivan (14), Charde' Phillips (11), Jennifer Boyd (11) and Alisha Green (10) also scored double-figure kills . . . It was the first time in over a year the Cardinals have had five players score in double-figures in a match . . . The last time BSU had five players post double-digit kills was Nov. 9, 2008 in Akron's last visit to Worthen Arena.
► KAKATOLIS MOVES UP BLOCKING CHARTS: With eight total blocks in BSU's matches versus Eastern Michigan (Nov. 6) and Central Michigan (Nov. 8), senior Elaina Kakatolis climbed to 18th on BSU's all-time total blocks chart with 249 . . . She entered the week tied for 19th at 241 . . . Kakatolis also moved up two spots to 16th in program history with 227 career block assists . . . In addition, her 743 career kills leave her 28 markers away from the top 20.
► BREIVOGEL EYES SEVENTH: Senior outside attacker Julie Breivogel, who recorded her 1,000th career kill versus Dayton (Aug. 29), enters Friday's MAC Tournament quarterfinal match versus Ohio ranked eighth in program history with 1,224 career kills . . . In Tuesday's win over Akron, Breivogel added six more kills to her career total and needs just 22 more to pass Kelly Cochran (2003-06), who blasted 1,246 kills over her BSU career, for seventh on BSU's all-time kill chart.
► BSU IN THE MAC: Ball State ended the 2009 regular season with a 280-143 (.662) 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 at 293-130 (.693) . . . BSU is also second in the league with 13 20-plus win regular seasons since MAC play began in 1983.
All-Time MAC Records (Ranked Based On Percentage)
Team MAC Record 20-Win (RS)
1. Western Michigan 293-130 (.693) 15
2. Ball State 280-143 (.662) 13
3. Miami 270-153 (.638) 10
4. Northern Illinois 165-107 (.607) 7
5. Bowling Green 235-188 (.556) 13
6. Central Michigan 218-205 (.515) 4
7. Ohio 214-209 (.506) 12
8. Akron 140-165 (.459) 3
9. Eastern Michigan 186-237 (.440) 7
10. Kent State 148-275 (.350) 3
11. Toledo 127-296 (.300) 1
12. Buffalo 24-178 (.119) 0
NOTE: MAC regular season play began in 1983 & Marshall was 62-76 (.449) as a member of the MAC from 1997-2004.
►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 will continue its coverage of the program this weekend, when it travels to Toledo, Ohio, for the 2009 Mid-American Conference Tournament . . . The station is slated to cover Friday's match versus Ohio, as well as the remainder of BSU's play in the tournament . . . The state-of-the art WCRD studio is also the home of "Serving It Up" with Dave Boos, a weekly volleyball report which airs Monday nights from 7 to 8 p.m.
