Ball State University Athletics
WVB Battles Eastern Michigan To Open MAC Tournament
November 16, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
►TOURNAMENT TIME: The No. 4 seed Ball State women's volleyball team opens play in the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament in Friday's 11 a.m. quarterfinal match versus No. 5 seed Eastern Michigan at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva, Ohio . . . The winner will advance to face either No. 1 Northern Illinois or No. 8 Bowling Green in the 2:30 p.m. semifinal match Saturday . . . The 2011 MAC Tournament Championship Match is set for 1 p.m. Sunday and will be televised by SportsTime Ohio and webcasted live on ESPN3.com.
►FOLLOW THE ACTION: Ball State Sports Link Radio on WCRD 91.3 FM will cover all of the Cardinals' matches in the 2011 MAC Tournament . . . Adam Fox, Donnie Kolakowski and Bryan Lord will bring fans the action live from the SPIRE Institute . . . The broadcasts can be heard free of charge on ballstatesports.com . . . Live stats will also be available for all tournament matches, as well as free live video for the championship match at MAC Tournament Central: http://www.mac-sports.com/Championships/Volleyball.aspx
►NO. 4 SEED: Ball State earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament by virtue of its 12-4 league mark . . . BSU's record tied No. 3 seed Western Michigan's, however, the Broncos received the higher seed by virtue of winning the second tiebreaker which was divisional record . . . BSU went 6-4 vs. teams in the MAC West Division, while WMU went 7-3 . . . The first tiebreaker was head-to-head record, in which the two squads split the regular season series.
►21 AND COUNTING: When Ball State takes the floor Friday, it will mark the 21th straight Mid-American Conference Tournament appearance, and 23rd overall, for the Cardinals . . Ball State is 28-16 (.636) all-time in MAC Tournament matches . . . Both BSU's 28 wins and 44 matches played are league records . . . Overall, Ball State is 4-1 in first round matches, 9-4 in quarterfinal matches, 9-8 in semifinal matches and 6-3 in championship matches . . . Ball State has more tournament wins (28) than seven other MAC schools have matches played . . . Miami (41), Western Michigan (40) and Bowling Green (34) are the only schools to play in more tournament matches than BSU has wins, while Ohio's 28 MAC Tournament matches played equals BSU's win total.
►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 six tournament Most Valuable Player selections trail only Ohio's seven.
►VERSUS THE FIELD: Ball State holds a 258-175-1 record versus the 2011 MAC Tournament field, including a 19-13 mark in tournament action and a 5-3 ledger in championship matches.
►BALL STATE VS. EASTERN MICHIGAN: Despite losing both regular season matches to the Eagles this season, the Cardinals hold a 45-22 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-0 record in MAC Tournament play . . . The teams last met in the MAC Tournament in 2008, with BSU scoring a 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) first round victory over.
►SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: The Cardinals earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament with a 23-6 (12-4 MAC) record . . . BSU closed MAC play with a loss to EMU (3-1) and a win over CMU (3-1) at home last week . . . Kara Bates leads the team with a 3.23 kills-per-set average, while Kelsey Brandl is second at 2.69 . . . Brandl leads the team's attackers with a .332 hitting percentage, while posting a team-high 42 aces . . . Mindy Marx is BSU's top blocker, averaging 0.97 blocks per set . . . Brittany McGinnis and Jacqui Seidel have combined to set the BSU offense to a .244 hitting mark this season, dishing out 9.40 and 2.49 assists per set, respectively . . . Catie Fredrich leads the team with a 4.58 digs-per-set average . . . On defense, Ball State is holding its opponents to a league-low .181 hitting mark.
►SCOUTING EASTERN MICHIGAN: The Eagles earned the No. 5 seed in the tournament with a 20-9 (8-6 MAC) record . . . EMU closed MAC play with a win at Ball State (3-1) and a loss at Toledo (3-2) last week . . . Rachel Iaquaniello leads the Eagles with a 3.99 kills-per-set average, while Kristin Baker is second at 2.45 . . . Baker also has a team-best .286 hitting percentage, while Ashley Mason has set the EMU offense to a .203 rate of success by averaging 10.35 assists per set . . . Haley Stein has a team-best 5.37 digs-per-set average . . . Eastern Michigan's opponents are hitting for a .175 rate of success.
►SEASON SERIES PART 1: In the first two meetings this season, Ball State's junior transfer Kara Bates leads all players with 32 kills . . . Sophomore transfer Lauren Grant is second on the squad with 20 kills, despite playing in just six of the eight sets . . . Grant also owns a team-best .350 hitting percentage in the series . . . Senior Kelsey Brandl has 18 kills in the series, while leading all players with 10 total blocks and five aces . . . Catie Fredrich is averaging a series-best 5.75 digs-per-set . . . Rachel Iaquaniello leads EMU with 30 kills, followed by Kristen Baker at 29 . . . Baker also owns a series-best .371 hitting mark and is tied with Erin Short with a team-high six blocks . . . Haley Stein is averaging 4.75 digs-per-set.
►SEASON SERIES PART 2: As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .213 versus Eastern Michigan, while averaging 18.12 digs, 15.12 kills, 2.38 blocks and 1.12 aces per set . . . The Eagles are hitting .233, while averaging 16.88 digs, 14.75 kills, 1.88 blocks and 0.88 aces per set . . . EMU won the first two matches by a total of 11 points, as the teams played even in the first meeting and the Eagles held an 11-point edge in the second contest . . . Both fourth sets were 28-26 EMU wins, with BSU having at least one set point in each contest . . . Complete 2011 series stats can be found on the next page.
►WEST VS. EAST: Ball State went 6-0 versus teams from the MAC East Division this season . . . In fact, the MAC West Division held a 30-6 advantage in interdivisional this season, with only Ohio (3), Bowling Green (1), Kent State (1) and Miami (1) picking up wins out of their division . . . Overall, the West Division had a 97-33 set record versus the East Division, including 19 sweeps.
►CARDINALS ALL-TIME: After posting a 1-1 record last week, the Cardinals enter the 2011 Mid-American Conference Tournament with a 786-500-2 (.611) all-time record, including a 47-11 (.810) mark under second-year head coach Steve Shondell.
►MORE ON SHONDELL: The 2010 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, Steve Shondell's current .810 overall winning percentage ranks third among all coaches in league history . . . Shondell also owns a 26-6 (.813) all-time record in league action, which is the fourth-best league winning percentage in MAC annals.
►IN THE MAC: With a 3-1 victory at Ohio (Oct. 14), Ball State became just the second women's volleyball program in league history to collect 300 Mid-American Conference victories . . . BSU ended the 2011 MAC season with a 306-149 (.673) all-time record in conference matches . . . BSU's record is the second-best in league history, trailing only Western Michigan's 317-138 (.697) all-time league mark . . . Eastern Michigan is eighth all-time in league play at 205-250 (.451).
►THE RECORD: Ball State was the first league team to reach 20 wins this season, accomplishing the task Oct. 22 versus Bowling Green . . . BSU's 23-6 overall record is the eighth-best in program history through 29 matches . . . The 1993 squad has the best 29-match mark at 25-4 . . . Six squads are tied at 24-5.
►HOME SWEET HOME: Prior to last Thursday's home loss to Eastern Michigan, the Ball State women's volleyball team had won 23 straight matches at Worthen Arena . . . The streak is the second-longest in program history, trailing only the 42-match winning streak from Sept. 9, 1999 - Nov. 20, 2001.
►MORE FROM THE NEST: The Aug. 28 win over IPFW in the championship match of the 2011 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge was the 200th victory for the Cardinals in Worthen Arena . . . BSU owns a 207-57 (.784) all-time record in matches played in Worthen Arena, including a 157-31 (.835) mark versus Mid-American Conference teams . . . BSU its 9-1 at home this season, with a Nov. 26 home match versus St. Louis to close out the regular season.
►FOR THE RECORD: Ball State's current 23-6 overall record is the 25th-best record in the nation among the 327 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball programs . . . BSU's 23 wins entering the week tie as the 19th-best win total in the nation this season.
►MORE ON THE NATIONAL RANKING FRONT: Five Cardinals appear in the national rankings this week, led by Kelsey Brandl who is 53rd in aces (0.39) and 89th in hitting (.332) . . . Brittany McGinnis enters the tournament ranked 149th in aces (0.31) and 156th in assists (9.40) . . . Kara Bates also appears in two categories, ranking 202nd in kills (3.23) and 233rd in points (3.61) . . . Catie Fredrich is 96th in digs (4.58), while Jennifer Boyd is 164th in hitting (.309).
►HITTING THE MARK: Kelsey Brandl enters the week ranked third in program history with a .340 career hitting percentage at Ball State . . . Brandl also ranks 15th in BSU annals with 869 career kills, 15th with 265 career total blocks and 18th with 222 career block assists . . . Brandl is in her third season at Ball State after transferring from Cincinnati . . . Including her one season at UC, Brandl has 999 kills, a .328 hitting percentage and 318 total blocks over her collegiate career . . . She has also served up 113 career aces, with 89 coming in her three seasons at Ball State.
►HITTING AT A NEAR-RECORD PACE: Ball State enters the week with a .244 team hitting percentage . . . If the season were to end today, it would be the fifth-best single-season hitting effort in program history . . . The best season hitting mark in BSU annals is .262 set by the 1998 squad.
►BOYD VERSUS THE MAC: Senior middle blocker Jennifer Boyd has stepped up her play in league action, ranking first on the team and fifth in the MAC in league-only matches with a .350 attack percentage . . . She ranked second on the team with double-figure kills in seven of the 15 league matches she played in this season, while posting a 2.24 kills-per-set average . . . She has hit .300-or-better in 10 conference matches, while ranking second on the team with 31 total blocks in MAC action.
►DEPTH ON THE LEFT: Ball State's offense has been helped out by its ability to rely on three different left side hitters over the course of the season . . . Junior transfer Kara Bates currently has the hot hand, racking up a team-best 32 kills last weekend . . . Bates enters the week ranked sixth in the MAC with a 3.56 kills-per-set average in league matches . . . Sophomore Kylee Baker tallied three kills and nine digs versus Eastern Michigan, while posting her seventh double-double of the season with 11 kills and 14 digs versus Central Michigan . . . Sophomore Whitney Heeres posted 11 kills and a .269 (11-4-26) hitting mark versus Eastern Michigan, giving her double-figure kills in five of the 14 MAC matches she has played in.
►MORE ON BATES: Kara Bates has found a home in the Ball State lineup over the last four weeks, blasting double-figure kills in seven of BSU's last eight matches . . . Over the last eight matches, Bates has tallied 114 kills for a 3.80 kill-per-set average . . . Kelsey Brandl is second over the span with 70 kills and a 2.26 average . . . Bates is tied for first on the team with double-digit kills in 16 matches this season . . . Bates has also posted double-figure digs in four matches this season, while collecting three kill/dig double-doubles, including last Friday's match against Eastern Michigan with 18 kills and 15 digs.
►FROM THE SERVICE LINE: With nine more service aces, compared to 13 errors last week, the Ball State women's volleyball team continues to be one of the top serving teams in the MAC, with a .936 service percentage . . . Only Western Michigan (.955) has a better serving percentage . . . BSU's 148 aces rank third in the league, while its 160 service errors are the third least . . . Overall, BSU's .925 ace-to-error ratio is the best in the MAC, with WMU being second at .840 (100-to-119).
►MORE FROM THE SERVICE LINE: Individually, sophomore libero Catie Fredrich paces all league servers with more than 125 attempts with a .990 serving percentage . . . In 404 service attempts, Fredrich had racked up 15 aces while committing just four errors . . . The MAC's second-best server so far this season is Western Michigan's Jessica Brown with a .986 percentage, having 14 aces and six errors in 422 attempts . . . Over her career, Fredrich has a .989 career service percentage with 33 aces to just nine errors in 810 attempts.
►FREDRICH ON D: A four-time MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week selection this season, Catie Fredrich has racked up double-digit dig totals in each of BSU's last 28 matches . . . She has recorded a career-high 31 digs in two matches (at EMU, Oct. 8 and vs. Miami, Oct. 21), while adding 30 digs in BSU's home win over Western Michigan (Oct. 1) . . . She has led the Cardinals in digs in 25 of the last 26 matches, while earning match-high honors in 19 of the contests.
►DIGGING DEEP: Catie Fredrich enters the week with 752 career digs and needs just 106 more to break into the top 20 in program history . . . She has collected 495 digs so far this season which is the 10th-best single-season dig total in program history . . . Her 38 career matches with double-figure digs ranks 18th in program history, while her eight career matches with 20-or-more digs is tied for eighth.
►DISHING THE ROCK: With her third assist versus Murray State (Sept. 3), senior setter Brittany McGinnis moved into fourth in program history for career assists . . . Her 4,367 career assists are 37 shy of Wendy Carter's (1993-96) career total of 4,404 which ranks third in program history . . . In addition, McGinnis' 9.79 career assists-per-set average is sixth in BSU annals.
►ONE OF THREE: With her 13th dig at Western Michigan Nov. 4, Brittany McGinnis became the 13th player in program history to record 1,000 career digs . . . She collected 23 digs in BSU's two matches last weekend to raise her career total to 1,031 . . . McGinnis is one of just three players in program history to record over 1,000 assists and 1,000 digs, joining Emily Sallee (1997-2000) and Tiffany Stevens (1992-95) . . . Sallee had 6,408 assists and 1,120 digs over her career, while Stevens recorded 1,597 assists and 1,087 digs.
►MORE ON MCGINNIS: Brittany McGinnis has started 118 of 122 matches over her career, while playing in 446 of a possible 457 sets . . . Her 43 matches with double-digit digs rank 15th in program history, while she has tallied 42 double-doubles over her career . . . She has also served up 118 career aces, which is 10th in BSU annals . . . In last Saturday's win over Central Michigan, McGinnis tallied a career-high seven aces, including five in the pivotal third set.
►SCHEMBRA IN THE RANKINGS TOO: Senior defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra is also climbing her way up the BSU record books, moving into 16th in program history with 888 career digs . . . She has tallied double-figure dig totals in five of BSU's last 13 matches, giving her double-digit digs in 39 career matches to rank 17th in program history.
►THE GRANT FACTOR: Sophomore transfer right side hitter Lauren Grant has been on fire the last two weeks, racking up 44 kills to rank second on the team during the span . . . She tallied a career-high 15 kills at Western Michigan (Nov. 4), while blasting 14 kills versus Eastern Michigan (Nov. 10) . . . She is also BSU's top hitter the past two weeks with a .347 (44-11-95) average . . . In MAC play, Grant ranks second on the team with a .305 hitting mark . . . She has hit .300-or-better in eight league matches, while tallying four-or-more kills in 13 of the 16 matches.
