Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball Opens 2011 Fall Practice
August 09, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team opened defense of its 2010 Mid-American Conference Regular Season Championship Tuesday morning, when it officially began its 2011 fall practice schedule at Worthen Arena.
Under the direction of second-year head coach Steve Shondell, the 2010 MAC Coach of the Year, the Cardinals return 11 letterwinners from last season's squad, including six starters. BSU's 18-player roster is completed by a pair of transfers, a redshirt freshman and four incoming freshmen.
The Cardinals finished the 2010 season with a 24-5 overall record, including a 14-2 mark in league play. Ball State's .828 winning percentage was the third-best in program history and ranked 17th in the nation among the 328 NCAA Division I programs. The Cardinals climbed from 153rd to 50th in the NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI rankings and finished the season ranked 10th in the Mideast Region, as the top non-Big Ten program in the rankings.
Highlighting BSU's list of returning student-athletes are three All-MAC honorees.
Senior middle blocker Kelsey Brandl (Lakeville Minn./Lakeville North H.S.) earned First Team All-MAC accolades for the second-straight season after leading the team in kills per set (3.19), hitting percentage (.349), blocks per set (0.84) and service aces (31).
Senior setter Brittany McGinnis (Fraser, Mich./Fraser H.S.) earned recognition on the All-MAC Second Team after guiding the Cardinals to a .224 team hitting percentage last season. McGinnis, who ranks fifth in program history with 3,352 career assists, also led the Cardinals with eight double-doubles last year.
Also earning recognition on the All-MAC Second team, as well as the MAC All-Freshman squad, was sophomore outside hitter Whitney Heeres (Flushing, Mich./Flushing Senior H.S.). Heeres ranked second on the team with a 3.12 kills-per-set average, including a team-high 3.36 average in MAC play.
The Ball State women's volleyball team will have 17 days to prepare for its first match of the season, as the Cardinals open play Friday, Aug. 26 versus Loyola-Chicago in the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge. Match time is set for 7 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
