Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Sweeps MAC Weekly Awards
November 01, 2010 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - For their efforts in guiding the Ball State women's volleyball team to a pair of wins last weekend and into sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference, senior libero Alyssa Rio (Wayne, Ill./St. Francis H.S.) and junior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) have been honored as the MAC West Division's weekly award winners.
Rio earns MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the third time this season and the fourth time in her career, while Brandl claims MAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades for the first time this season and the third time in her career. Ball State enters the week with a 20-4 overall record, including a 10-2 MAC ledger.
"Alyssa was a relentless defender all weekend," said Ball State head coach Steve Shondell. "She turned in a pair of strong performances and is very deserving of this award. Kelsey has been a rock for us all season. She has been a consistent go-to player for us and has delivered in crunch time over and over. It is great to see an individual honor come her way this week."
The pair guided the Cardinals to their first win over Western Michigan since the 2006 season, snapping a seven-match losing streak to the Broncos. In addition, the Cardinals win over Northern Illinois helped BSU secure a season-sweep of the Huskies and earn the 23rd 20-win season in program history.
Rio averaged 7.88 digs-per-set in BSU's pair of wins last weekend, while posting a perfect 1.000 reception percentage. In Friday's victory over WMU, Rio turned in the best performance of her career, racking up a career-best 44 digs, including nine in the shortened fifth-set victory. She also posted a perfect 1.000 reception percentage, passing all 16 balls served her way, while adding four assists and a service ace.
In Saturday's win over NIU, Rio added 19 digs to help BSU limit the league's top hitting team to a .151 effort for the match. She was also perfect in eight reception attempts while adding four assists and an ace.
Brandl led the Ball State offense with 30 kills and a .396 hitting percentage, while recording a team-high three service aces last week. In Friday's win over Western Michigan, Brandl blasted a match-best 19 kills while hitting a match-best .419 (19-6-31). She also added four digs, an ace and a solo block.
In Saturday's win over Northern Illinois, Brandl added 11 kills and a .364 (11-3-22) hitting percentage. She also notched a pair of service aces, including a match-winning blast, while her three blocks tied for match-high honors.
The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road for the final time in the 2010 regular season this weekend with a pair of pivotal MAC West Division matches. Friday, the Cardinals visit Eastern Michigan who is one match behind BSU in the league standings. Saturday, the Cardinals travel to MAC West Division preseason favorite Central Michigan (6-6 MAC). Both contests start at 7 p.m.
