Ball State University Athletics
Four Volleyball Players Earn MAC Honors
November 20, 2014 | Women's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Four members of the Ball State women's volleyball team were honored Thursday when the Mid-American Conference announced its 2014 All-MAC selections as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
Representing the Cardinals on the All-MAC First Team are redshirt junior middle hitters Hayley Benson (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard Bradley) and Kelly Hopkins (Kokomo, Ind./Kokomo), along with junior setter Jenna Spadafora (Fort Wayne, Ind./Carroll). In addition, redshirt freshman outside hitter Sabrina Mangapora (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) was named to both the All-MAC Second Team and the MAC All-Freshman squad.
“We are very honored to have four Ball State players voted to the 2014 Mid-American Conference volleyball teams,” Ball State head coach Steve Shondell said. “They had some big shoes to fill this season after we graduated five senior starters from our MAC West championship team a year ago. This group, along with their teammates, has risen to the challenge and kept our program near the top of one of the finest volleyball conferences in America. We are very proud these four student-athletes were recognized by the coaches of the league as four of the finest players of the Mid-American Conference.”
Benson, who earns first team All-MAC honors for the second straight season, upped her game in 2014 by leading the league with a .433 (205-33-397) attack percentage in league-only matches. She is the first player to finish league play hitting above .400 since the 2011 season. A three-time MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week during league action, Benson smashed double-digit kills in 13 league matches, while hitting .400-or-better in 11 MAC contest. She recorded a career-high .667 (12-0-18) attack percentage in the sweep of Kent State (Oct. 18), and logged two-or-fewer attack errors in 10 league matches. Benson smashed 15-or-more kills in six MAC matches, including a career-high 19 in a win over Western Michigan (Nov. 1). Benson also improved her game at the net, leading the Ball State defense with a 0.87 blocks-per-set game in MAC action.
Hopkins, who saw limited action in her first two seasons at Ball State, developed into one of the most physical hitters in the league this season. Her .324 (166-57-336) attack percentage in MAC matches ranked ninth in the league, while her 2.72 kills-per-set average in 2014 MAC matches was nearly double her career average entering conference play. Hopkins blasted double-digit kills in nine MAC matches, including a career-high 17 markers in a win over Eastern Michigan (Oct. 3). She also hit .350-or-better in 10 conference matches, including a career-best .643 (11-2-14) rate of success at Northern Illinois (Sept. 27). Hopkins was also a major threat at the net, averaging 0.69 blocks per set in league action.
After splitting duties as a setter and emergency outside attacker for the Cardinals the past two seasons, Spadafora did a solid job running the Ball State offense to a .235 attack percentage in MAC play this season. She dished out 40-or-more assists in 11 MAC matches and ranked second in the conference with an 11.38 assists-per-set average in league play. Spadafora tied a pair of career-highs versus Western Michigan (Nov. 1) by dishing out 60 assists and serving up four aces. She also proved to be a stealthy attacker, ranking third among the MAC's six-rotation setters with a 1.08 kills-per-set average. On defense, Spadafora tallied double-digit digs in a pair of league contests, while averaging 0.43 blocks per set in MAC play.
Mangapora was Ball State's top outside attacker in 2014, with a 2.89 kills-per-set average in conference play. She collected double-digit kills in 10 league matches, including a career-high 18 kills in the win over Western Michigan (Nov. 1). Mangapora also recorded a career-best .536 (18-3-36) attack percentage in the match. She hit .300-or-better in six league contests, while hitting .265 (179-60-449) overall during league play. At the net, Mangapora led all Ball State players with 11 solo blocks in league play, including a career-high five solo stuffs in the Cardinals' first win over Western Michigan (Sept. 26). She finished league play averaging 0.42 blocks per set.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @SteveShondell on Twitter.
2014 MAC Volleyball Player of the Year
Abby Gilleland, Ohio
2014 MAC Volleyball Setter of the Year
Abby Gilleland, Ohio
2014 MAC Volleyball Freshman of the Year
Sydney LeMay, Western Michigan
2014 MAC Volleyball Defensive Player of the Year
Meredith Ashy, Ohio
2014 MAC Volleyball All-MAC First Team (18 Members)
Hayley Benson, Ball State
Kelly Hopkins, Ball State
Jenna Spadafora, Ball State
Jelena Sunjic, Bowling Green
Tahleia Bishop, Buffalo
Kaitlyn McIntyre, Central Michigan
Jill Briner, Eastern Michigan
Meg Riley, Miami
Paige Hill, Miami
Alexis Gonzalez, Northern Illinois
Jenna Radtke, Northern Illinois
Mackenzie Roddy, Northern Illinois
Meredith Ashy, Ohio
Karin Bull, Ohio
Abby Gilleland, Ohio
Kelly Lamberti, Ohio
Lexie Pawlik, Western Michigan
Sydney LeMay, Western Michigan
2014 MAC Volleyball All-MAC Second Team (6 Members)
Sabrina Mangapora, Ball State
Megan Crawshaw, Eastern Michigan
Corynne Smith, Eastern Michigan
Tinuke Aderemi-Ibitola, Kent State
Liz Reikow, Kent State
Jenny Ingle, Miami
2014 MAC Volleyball All-Freshman Team (7 Members)
Sabrina Mangapora, Ball State
Cassie Shado, Buffalo
Challen Geragthy, Kent State
Olivia Rusek, Miami
Shelby Seurer, Northern Illinois
Jaime Kosiorek, Ohio
Sydney LeMay, Western Michigan
