Ball State University Athletics
Volleyball Hosts NIU And WMU This Weekend
October 29, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
►THE WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to Worthen Arena this weekend for a pair of pivotal Mid-American Conference West Division matches versus Northern Illinois (Friday) and Western Michigan (Saturday) ... Both matches start at 7 p.m. and will be broadcasted live, with Ball State Sports Link producing the NIU match and the Ball State Sports Network carrying the WMU match.
►QUICK LOOK AT THE MAC WEST STANDINGS: Ball State enters the week ranked second in the MAC West Division with a 7-3 league mark ... Northern Illinois holds the division lead at 9-1, while Western Michigan is third at 6-4 ... Ohio holds the overall conference lead at 10-0.
►FOLLOW THE ACTION: Friday's match versus Northern Illinois will be broadcast state-wide by Ball State Sports Link on Comcast Indiana 81 and on campus with Cardinal Vision 57 ... Luke Martin is the producer of the match, while the talent team includes Andy Wright (play-by-play), Torey Fox (analyst) and Allison Wilson (social/sideline) ... Saturday's match versus Western Michigan will be televised locally by the Ball State Sports Network on WIPB Muncie ... The talent team for the BSSN broadcast includes Torey Fox (play-by-play) and Kayla Austin (analyst).
►FOLLOW THE ACTION PART 2: In addition to being televised, both of Ball State's matches this weekend will be streamed live and free on BallStateSports.com ... Sports Link Radio WCRD 91.3 FM will also cover the matches live and free over the airwaves and on BallStateSports.com and WCRD.net ... Rob Connett will handle the play-by-play duties for the student-run production, with Levi Gibson serving as the analyst Friday and Andy Wright reclaiming the role Saturday ... Live stats are available on BallStateSports.com ... Fans can also follow the program on twitter @BallStateWVB and @BallStateSports.
►CARDINALS ALL-TIME: The Ball State women's volleyball team enters Friday's match versus Northern Illinois with an 839-537-2 (.610) all-time record ... The Cardinals boast a 100-48 (.678) mark under fifth-year head coach Steve Shondell, including a 52-22 (.703) ledger in MAC play.
►IN THE MAC: Ball State holds a 337-168 (.667) all-time record in Mid-American Conference matches, which ranks second among all league schools ... Western Michigan is first with a 351-154 (.695) all-time league mark, while Northern Illinois is third based on winning percentage at 219-135 (.619).
►HOME SWEET HOME: Ball State owns a 230-68 (.772) all-time record in Worthen Arena, including a 170-39 (.813) mark versus MAC opponents ... The Cardinals are 6-2 at home this season, including wins over league rivals Eastern Michigan (3-2), Central Michigan (3-1), Toledo (3-1) and Kent State (3-0).
►VERSUS NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies hold a 30-29 advantage in the all-time series after sweeping the Cardinals 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) in DeKalb earlier this season (Sept. 27) ... Ball State won both regular season meetings in 2013, snapping a four-match NIU winning streak in the series ... Ball State holds a 15-7 lead in matches played in Muncie, including a 13-4 edge in matches played in Worthen Arena.
►VERSUS WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos also hold a one-match lead in the all-time series versus the Cardinals at 42-41 ... Earlier this season, Ball State scored a hard-fought 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 18-16) victory in Kalamazoo (Sept. 26) ... Overall, WMU has won 11 of the last 16 meetings between the two clubs ... Ball State does hold a 22-14 lead in matches played in Muncie, including a 17-6 mark inside Worthen Arena.
QUICK HITS
● Ball State enters Friday's match versus Northern Illinois with a 13-10 (7-3 MAC) record ... The Cardinals suffered a 3-0 loss at Miami last Friday, before rebounding the next day with a sweep at Bowling Green ... Hayley Benson leads the squad with 254 kills and a 2.82 kills-per-set average, while Alex Fuelling averages a team-best 3.41 digs per set.
● Northern Illinois enters Friday's match with a 16-8 (9-1 MAC) record ... Last week, the Huskies earned a 3-1 victory at Kent State Friday before falling at Ohio, 3-0, in a battle of MAC division leaders Saturday ... Mackenzie Roddy leads NIU with 374 kills and a 4.16 kills-per-set average, while Anna Brereton averages a team-high 4.11 digs per set.
● Western Michigan enters the weekend with a 15-10 (6-4 MAC) record and will play at Toledo Friday before traveling to Muncie Saturday ... Last week, the Broncos picked up a non-conference win at IPFW (3-1), before losing league matches at Ohio (3-1) and at Kent State (3-1) ... Alysia Baznik leads WMU with 298 kills and a 3.04 kills-per-set average, while Sierra Hubbard-Neil averages a team-high 3.82 digs per set.
● Ball State's 3-0 win at Bowling Green last Saturday marked the program's 100th victory under head coach Steve Shondell, who has amassed a 100-48 (.676) record over his five-year collegiate coaching tenure … A 2007 inductee into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame for his efforts in 34 seasons as the head girls varsity coach at the Burris Laboratory School, Shondell is just the third coach in program history to amass 100 career wins.
● In each of its last two Saturday matches, the Ball State offense has connected for a season-best .358 attack percentage ... In the Oct. 18 win versus Kent State, the Cardinals smashed 48 kills on 106 swings with just 10 attack errors ... Last Saturday at Bowling Green, Ball State blasted 52 kills on 106 swings with 14 attack errors.
● Ball State junior middles Hayley Benson and Kelly Hopkins have combined for 228 of the Cardinals' 529 kills in league action, while attacking for a combined .401 (228-49-446) rate of success ... Benson's .467 (131-16-246) attack percentage is first in the conference in league-only matches, while Hopkins' .320 (97-33-200) mark is ninth.
● A four-time MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week honoree this season, Hayley Benson has been virtually unstoppable over the last six matches, smashing 76 kills with just four attack errors for a .507 (76-4-142) attack percentage ... She hit a career-best .667 (12-0-18) versus Kent State (Oct. 18) and posted a .609 (14-0-23) attack percentage at Buffalo during the run.
● A First Team All-MAC selection last season, Hayley Benson is way ahead of her pace from 2013 which saw her finish conference play with 161 kills and a .344 attack percentage ... Over Ball State's first 10 league matches in 2013, Benson had just 93 kills and was hitting .337 (93-27-196) ... This season, Benson has 131 kills and is attacking for a .467 (131-16-246) rate of success through 10 conference matches.
● Hayley Benson has also improved her game at the net compared to the first 10 league matches last season, leading the team with 38 total blocks (four solo and 34 assists) in 2014 ... Over the first 10 league matches in 2013, Benson had 28 total blocks (two solo and 26 assists).
● Kelly Hopkins has proven to be a major factor in Ball State's offense during league play, blasting double-digit kills in five of Ball State's 10 league matches ... She smashed a career-best 17 kills at Northern Illinois (Sept. 27) and opened league play with a career-best .643 (11-2-14) attack percentage at Western Michigan (Sept. 26) ... Prior to league play, Hopkins had only tallied double-digit kills in seven of her previous 46 career matches played.
● Sabrina Mangapora has also provide a big spark for the Ball State offense during MAC play, ranking second on the squad with 105 kills and a 2.84 kills-per-set average ... She has blasted double-digit kills in six league matches, including each of the last three ... She also hit a career-best .500 (12-1-22) versus Kent State (Oct. 18).
● Since moving back to the libero position for the Eastern Michigan (Oct. 3) match, junior Kati Vasalakis has dominated the Ball State backcourt, averaging 4.33 digs per set and posting a .955 (191-for-200) reception percentage ... She has collected 20-or-more digs in two of the eight matches, including a career-high tying 24 versus EMU ... Prior to the switch, Vasalakis has only tallied 20-or-more digs in one other career match.
● Junior setter Jenna Spadafora enters the weekend ranked second in the MAC with an 11.45 assists-per-set average in league-only matches ... Spadafora has handed out 50-or-more assists in three matches over her career, with two coming in the first 10 matches of league play this season.
