Ball State University Athletics
Women's Volleyball To Battle IPFW Tuesday
August 27, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
►BUSY WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State women's volleyball team continues its 2012 slate with four matches this week, starting with a Tuesday jaunt up I-69 to battle IPFW in a 7 p.m. first serve at the Gates Sports Center ... The Cardinals will then head the opposite direction on I-69 when it travels to IUPUI for the two-day IUPUI Jaguars Hampton Inn Invitational ... BSU opens the tournament Friday versus Georgia State (4:30 p.m.) and will battle North Texas (10 a.m.) and IUPUI (7 p.m.) Saturday.
►FOLLOW THE ACTION: Sports Link Radio WCRD 91.3 FM will carry Tuesday's match live over the airwaves and FREE online at BallStateSports.com ... In addition, IPFW will be streaming the match live as part of its All-Access package ... Fans can also follow the action with live stats for all four matches at the links provided above.
►CARDINALS ALL-TIME: Ball State enters the week with a 790-503-2 (.610) all-time record after going 2-1 at last weekend's Ball State Active Ankle Challenge ... BSU boasts a 51-14 (.785) mark under third-year head coach Steve Shondell.
►FROM THE NEST: The Aug. 28, 2011 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 ... After going 2-1 at home last weekend to open the 2012 season, BSU owns a 210-58 (.784) all-time record in matches played in Worthen Arena, including a 157-31 (.835) mark versus Mid-American Conference teams.
►BALL STATE VS. IPFW: Ball State is 10-3 all-time versus IPFW, including four consecutive wins ... Last season, BSU scored a 3-1 homecourt win over the Mastodons in the championships match of the 2011 Active Ankle Challenge ... The Cardinals are 4-2 all-time in matches played in Fort Wayne, including a hard-fought 3-2 victory in its last trip up I-69 Sept. 14, 2010.
►BALL STATE VS. IUPUI: Ball State holds a 12-3 lead in the all-time series versus the Jaguars, with one of IUPUI's three wins being vacated ... Ball State has won the past three meetings in the series, including a 3-0 victory in Indianapolis last season (Aug. 30) ... BSU is 4-2 all-time in matches hosted by IUPUI.
►PLAYING FOR THE FIRST TIME: Ball State will be playing both Georgia State and North Texas for the first time in women's volleyball at the IUPUI Jaguars Hampton Inn Invitational.
►SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State enters the second week of the 2012 season with a 2-1 record after scoring wins over Gardner-Webb (3-0) and Illinois State (3-1) last weekend ... The Cardinals loss came versus VCU (1-3) ... Kara Bates leads the Ball State attack with a 3.09 kills-per-set average, while Kylee Baker is second at 2.55 ... Jacqui Seidel has set the Ball State offense to a .196 hitting percentage this season, having collecting assist/dig double-doubles in all three matches so far ... Catie Fredrich paces the BSU backcourt with a 4.73 digs-per-set average.
►SCOUTING THE MASTODONS: IPFW enters Tuesday's match with a 2-1 record after hosting the Hyatt Place Fort Wayne/IPFW Invitational last weekend ... The Mastodons scored wins over Murray State (3-0) and Kent State (3-0), while falling to Cleveland State (3-0) ... Emily Spencer leads the squad with a 4.67 kills-per-set average, while Muncie native Tessa McGill has a team-best 7.56 digs-per-set average ... IPFW is hitting .231 as a team, while limiting opponents to a .195 hitting mark.
►SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Georgia State enters the week with a 1-2 record after playing at the Benson Hospitality Bulldog Invitational hosted by Georgia last weekend ... GSU opened the tournament with a win over Troy (3-0), before losing to Georgia Southern (1-3) and Georgia (0-3) ... The Panthers also suffered a 1-3 exhibition loss to the Slovenia National Team at the tournament ... Sydney Hunsley leads the GSU attack with a 2.10 kills-per-set average, while Emily Averbeck has a team-best 5.00 digs-per-set average ... The Panthers are hitting .064 as a team, while allowing opponents to hit .215.
►SCOUTING THE MEAN GREEN: North Texas enters the week with a 4-0 record and will play at UT-Arlington Tuesday before heading to Indianapolis ... Last week, NT won its first ever home tournament with sweeps of Prairie View A&M, UMKC, Houston Baptist and Lamar in the North Texas Invitational ... Courtney Windham has a team-best 3.91 kills-per-set average, while Shelby Tamura leads the squad with a 4.75 digs-per-set average ... As a team, the Mean Green are hitting .230, while limiting opponents to a .046 rate of success.
►SCOUTING THE JAGUARS: IUPUI enters the week with a 2-1 record after competing in the Thunder Invitational hosted by Marshall last weekend ... The Jaguars, who will host Indiana State Tuesday, scored wins over Miami (OH) (3-1) and Wright State (3-0), while losing to tournament host Marshall (3-2) ... Moriah Fair leads the squad with a 2.92 kills-per-set average, while Beth Howard has a team-best 5.92 digs-per-set average ... As a team, IUPUI is hitting .190, while limiting its opposition to a .133 mark.
►THE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: For their play during the 2012 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge, both Kara Bates and Kylee Baker were named to the all-tournament squad ... Bates led all players with a 3.09 kills-per-set average at the event, while Baker was fourth at 2.55 ... Baker is now a two-time member of the Ball State Active Ankle All-Tournament Team after also earning a slot as a freshman.
►FREDRICH ON D: A four-time MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week selection in 2011, Catie Fredrich has racked up double-digit digs in each of BSU's last 35 matches dating back to last season ... She recorded a career-high 31 digs in two matches in 2011 (at EMU, Oct. 8 and vs. Miami, Oct. 21), while collecting a 2012 season-high 20 digs in BSU's latest match versus Illinois State (Aug. 25) ... She has also led the Cardinals in digs in 32 of the last 33 matches, while earning match-high honors in 24 of the contests.
►DIGGING DEEP: With her 20-dig effort versus Illinois State (Aug. 25), Catie Fredrich moved into 20th in program history with 871 career digs ... It also marked the 10th time in her career she has posted 20-or-more digs in a match which ranks sixth in BSU annals ... Fredrich's 562 digs in 2011 were the ninth-best single season dig total in program history, while her 45 career matches with double-figure digs ranks 12th and her 3.63 career digs-per-set average is fifth.
►SETTING BSU UP: Jacqui Seidel turned in a great all-around performance at the 2012 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge, collecting assist/dig double-doubles in all three matches ... Seidel led all tournament setters with a 10.00 assists-per-set average, while ranking fourth with a 3.27 digs-per-set average ... She also served up six aces in the two-day event.
►IN THE PRESEASON POLLS: The Ball State women's volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Mid-American Conference West Division in the annual preseason poll ... Western Michigan was chosen first and garnered 10 first place votes, followed by BSU and Central Michigan with one first place vote each ... Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan and Toledo rounded out the division.
