Ball State University Athletics
WVB Returns To The Road To Battle WMU & NIU This Weekend
November 05, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Ball State (13-13 / 7-5 MAC) at Western Michigan (12-15 / 8-4 MAC)
Ball State (13-13 / 7-5 MAC) at Northern Illinois (14-10 / 10-2 MAC)
Saturday, Nov. 7 (5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. CT)
DeKalb, Ill. (Victor E. Court)
Live Video | Live Stats
►WITH FOUR TO GO: With four matches remaining in the 2015 MAC regular season, the Cardinals enter the week with a 7-5 league record and currently hold the No. 6 seed in the MAC Tournament if the season ended today ... Northern Illinois and Ohio enter as the league's top two teams, with 10-2 MAC records ... The Huskies currently hold the No. 1 overall seed by virtue of its 3-0 sweep of the Bobcats on Oct. 24 ... Kent State (9-3) is currently the third seed, while Miami and Western Michigan, who play each other in the regular season finale, are tied for the fourth and fifth spots ... Ball State is next, while Buffalo (5-7) and Central Michigan (5-7) round out the team's currently in the field of eight ...Eastern Michigan (4-8) is the first team out, followed by Toledo (2-10), Akron (2-10) and Bowling Green (2-10) ... The top eight seeds advance to the 2015 MAC Tournament which will be hosted by Ohio Nov. 19-22.
►HOME SWEEP HOME: Ball State ended its four-match home stand with a perfect 4-0 record, with all four wins coming via the sweep … The last time Ball State earned four consecutive three-set victories was Sept. 14 – Sept. 20, 2013 … The streak is also Ball State's longest home sweep streak since a seven-match run which spanned the final three home matches of the 2009 season and the first four home matches of the 2010 campaign.
►MORE ON THE RUN: The Ball State offense is shining during the team's current four-match winning streak, averaging 14.25 kills per set and attacking for a .281 rate of success ... In comparison, the Cardinals are averaging 12.61 kills and hitting .187 on the year ... Redshirt junior outside MacKenzie Kitchel has led the Ball State offense over the past four matches with 39 kills, while senior middle Amanda Raker is hitting a team-best .558 (28-4-43) ... Ball State has also served up 22 aces during the streak, with six coming from senior outside attacker Alex Fuelling.
►DEFENSE STEPPING UP AS WELL: The Ball State defense has been just as dominating over the last four matches, limiting opponents to 10.25 kills per set and a .107 attack percentage ... In fact, Ball State's opponents have hit negative in three of the last 12 sets ... Prior to the streak, the Cardinals had held opponents to negative attack percentages in just two of 88 sets.
►REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: Amanda Raker, who started her collegiate career as a women's basketball player at Butler (2011-12 & 2012-13), turned in the most impressive performance of her three-year volleyball career in last Thursday's sweep of Toledo, smashing nine kills on nine attempts for a perfect 1.000 attack percentage … With the effort, Raker became the first Ball State player in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to boast a perfect attack percentage in a match with a minimum of seven attempts ... In fact, Raker is the only non-setter to boast a perfect attack percentage for the Cardinals in the rally scoring era with a minimum of five attempts … Prior to Raker, setter Brittany McGinnis (2008-11) was the last Ball State player to log a perfect attack percentage with at least five attempts, going 5-0-5 at Purdue (Aug. 28, 2009) ... Setter Stacie Baldwin (2001-04) is the only other Ball State player to earn a perfect attack percentage in a match with at least five attempts, going 6-0-6 versus Western Michigan (Nov. 16, 2002).
►ON THE WEEKEND: Amanda Raker followed her record-setting effort versus Toledo with another outstanding performance in last Saturday's win over Buffalo, recording a .727 attack percentage with nine more kills on 11 attempts with one attack error ... She started the match with kills on her first five swings, giving her kills on 14 consecutive attempts on the week, before being dug midway thought the second set ... However, the ball found its way back onto the Cardinals' side of the court and Raker was able to finish the rally with her sixth kill of the match ... Overall, Raker's .850 (18-1-20) attack percentage for the two matches is the best for a Ball State player collecting at least five attempts in back-to-back matches in the rally scoring era.
►RAKING IN THE HONORS: For her performance in guiding the Cardinals to sweeps of Toledo (Oct. 29) and Buffalo (Oct. 31) last week, Amanda Raker was named both the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week and the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week … Raker is the first Ball State women's volleyball player to be named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week since the 2005 season, when then-senior Sarah Obras (2002-05) claimed the honor twice (for the weeks of Oct. 17-23 and Nov. 7-13).
►BATTLING THE BEST: The Cardinals enter the week with a 2-2 record versus the league's top four teams, including home court sweeps of Northern Illinois (Oct. 2) and Miami (Oct. 23) ... Ball State suffered five-set road losses in back-to-back matches versus Ohio (Oct. 16) and Kent State (Oct. 17) ... In the four matches, the Cardinals have had a very balanced offense overall, with nine different players averaging at least 1.22 kills per set ... Senior outside attacker Alex Fuelling has the best average at 2.44 kills per set, while senior setter Jenna Spadafora is averaging 1.25 kills per set and hitting a team-best .362 ... On defense, senior libero Kati Vasalakis has a team-best 4.12 digs-per-set average, while senior middle Kelly Hopkins averages 0.81 blocks per set.
►BIG WEEKEND FOR KITCHEL: Mackenzie Kitchel was named the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week after averaging 4.00 kills and hitting .413 (24-5-46) in Ball State's wins over Miami (Oct. 23) and Bowling Green (Oct. 24) ... A first-time career MAC Player of the Week honoree, Kitchel dominated opposing defenses by smashing a match-high 12 kills against both the RedHawks and the Falcons ... She also finished the match versus BGSU with a career-high .588 (12-2-17) attack percentage ... Kitchel's .413 attack percentage for the weekend was the best two-match average of her entire career, while she collected back-to-back double-digit kill totals for just the fourth time in a Cardinals uniform.
►NO PLACE LIKE HOME: Ball State enters the week with a 9-1 record in home matches this season, including a 5-1 mark in league play ... Ball State is out-hitting opponents by a .238 to .156 margin in home matches, including its two best attack percentages of the year in sweeps of Northern Illinois (Oct. 2) and Bowling Green (Oct. 24), with marks of .370 and .360, respectively.
►MORE NEWS FROM THE HOME FRONT: In addition to the big advantage in attack percentage in home matches, the Cardinals are out-digging opponents 15.61 to 13.47 in Worthen Arena ... Ball State also holds a 14.05 to 10.82 advantage in kills per set, and a 2.25 to 1.76 edge in blocks per set.
►FROM THE NEST: With a 9-1 record in home matches so far this season, Ball State enters the week with a 241-70 (.775) all-time record in Worthen Arena ... The Cardinals are 5-1 in league play at home this season, improving to 177-41 (.812) versus MAC teams in Worthen Arena.
►ON THE ROAD: Ball State enters the week with a 256-230-1 (.527) all-time record in road matches, while owning a 228-170-1 (.573) mark in neutral site contests ... Under Steve Shondell, the Cardinals are 36-33 (.522) on the road and 26-17 (.605) in neutral matches.
►ACE OF SPADES OR JACK OF ALL TRADES?: In addition to being one of the league's top setters, ranking fifth in the MAC in league-only matches with a 9.60 assists-per-set average, Jenna Spadafora enters the week ranked third among MAC players in league action with a .348 attack percentage ... On the year, Spadafora has accumulated 136 kills which is the second-highest kill total for a six rotation setter (who has played exclusively at the setter position) in the country based on players listed as setters in the current NCAA statistical rankings ... Only Aubrey Marsellis of Austin Peay has more 137.
►TRIPLING UP: In the Oct. 3 match versus Western Michigan, Jenna Spadafora registered 10 kills, 13 digs and 41 assists for her first career triple double … Prior to the contest, the closest Spadafora had been to a triple double was one kill shy, earning nine kills, 13 digs and 42 assists in a 3-2 loss to Missouri State (Sept. 12, 2014) ... She also fell one kill shy of a triple double in the Oct. 17 match at Kent State, registering nine kills, 13 digs and 44 assists … Spadafora's triple double marks Ball State's first triple double since Oct. 19, 2002, when then-setter Stacie Baldwin (2001-04) produced 10 kills, 14 digs and 70 assists in a 3-2 victory over Eastern Michigan in Worthen Arena.
►IN THE FIFTH SET: The Ball State offense is playing its best in the pressure-packed fifth frame this season, connecting for a .317 (68-17-161) attack percentage … In addition, the defense is limiting opposing teams to a .221 (60-24-163) rate of success in the fifth set, including a .167 (32-14-108) mark in its five victories … Kelly Hopkins and Alex Fuelling lead the Ball State offense in the fifth frame with 12 kills each, while hitting .417 (12-2-24) and .308 (12-4-26), respectively … Ball State also holds a 72 to 60 advantage in digs and an 11 to 7 lead in team blocks over its opponents in the fifth set.
►HITTING THEIR MARK: The Cardinals connected for a season-high .370 (51-14-100) attack percentage in the Oct. 2 victory over MAC West Division preseason favorite Northern Illinois … The effort ranks as the fifth-best total in a match in the Steve Shondell era, and is the team's best attack percentage since earning a .376 (43-9-93) rate of success against Illinois-Chicago (Sept. 14, 2013) … Ball State's .360 (44-13-86) effort versus Bowling Green (Oct. 24) is the ninth-best mark under Shondell.
1. .419 (55-11-105)............................ vs. The Citadel (Aug. 31, 2013)
2. .390 (39-9-77)................................... at Kent State (Oct. 15, 2011)
3. .384 (50-12-99)............................ vs. Murray State (Sept. 3, 2011)
4. .376 (43-9-93)......................... vs. Illinois-Chicago (Sept. 14, 2013)
5. .370 (51-14-100)...................... vs. Northern Illinois (Oct. 2, 2015)
6. .367 (54-10-120)...................................... at Miami (Oct. 22, 2010)
7. .3659 (42-12-82).................. vs. Western Carolina (Sept. 9, 2011)
8. .3656 (45-11-93)..................... vs. Northern Illinois (Oct. 30, 2010)
9. .360 (44-13-86)........................ vs. Bowling Green (Oct. 24, 2015)
►SERIES VS. WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos hold a 44-42 lead in the all-time series after picking up a 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 25-27, 27-25) victory in the first meeting this season at Worthen Arena (Oct. 3) ... It was WMU's second consecutive win in the series, as the Broncos eliminated the Cardinals from the 2014 MAC Tournament with a 3-1 (25-12, 25-20, 21-25, 26-24) second-round win, on their way to the title of the event ... Ball State swept the 2014 regular season meetings by scores of 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 17-15) in Kalamazoo (Sept. 26) and 3-2 (25-22, 18-25, 25-18, 21-25, 17-15) in Muncie (Nov. 1) ... Friday's match will mark the fourth time the teams have played on Nov. 6, with Ball State winning the first-ever meeting in 1976, while the teams split a pair of matches played on the date in 1982 ... Ball State is 15-23 all-time in Kalamazoo, but has won the last two matches on WMU's home court ... Head coach Steve Shondell is 6-7 all-time versus Western Michigan, including a 6-5 mark in regular season play.
►SERIES VS. NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies hold a slim 31-30 lead in the all-time series after the Cardinals scored a 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) sweep in the first meeting this season (Oct. 2) ... NIU won both regular season meetings in 2014, sweeping the Cardinals in DeKalb (Sept. 27) by a score of 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) and earning a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-20) victory in Worthen Arena (Oct. 31) ... Saturday's match will be the first played on Nov. 7 in the all-time series ... Ball State is 9-18 in matches played in DeKalb, with its last win coming Nov. 15, 2013 by a score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-21) ... Head coach Steve Shondell is 6-6 all-time versus Northern Illinois, including a 6-5 mark in regular season play.
QUICK HITS
● The Ball State women's volleyball team enters Friday's match with an 856-553-2 (.607) all-time record ... The Cardinals boast a 117-64 (.646) mark under sixth-year head coach Steve Shondell, including a 63-29 (.685) ledger in MAC play.
● Ball State enters Friday's match with a 348-175 (.665) all-time record in MAC matches ... Western Michigan is first on the list with a 362-161 (.692) all-time league mark, while Northern Illinois is third at 234-138 (.629).
● Ball State is 5-1 in matches broadcast by ESPN3 this season, including sweeps of Northern Illinois (Oct. 2) and Miami (Oct. 23), two of the league's top four teams ... All five of the Cardinals wins have come at home, with Joel Godett (play-by-play) and four-year letterwinner (2007-10) and one-year student assistant coach (2011) Alyssa Rio (analyst) calling the action ... Ball State's lone loss came at Central Michigan (Oct. 9).
● Meg Starling tallied a career-high tying seven kills in the first set at No. 22 Purdue (Sept. 18) ... The effort ties as the highest single-set kill total by a Ball State player in 2015, with Alex Fuelling and Bailey Baumer both scoring seven kills in the third set versus Albany (Aug. 28) ... Fuelling also had seven kills in set one versus FAU (Sept. 4) and set four at Kent State (Oct. 17).
● Senior setter Jenna Spadafora enters Friday's match ranked seventh in program history with 2,655 career assists ... She needs 10 more assists to pass Lorie Vandenberg's (1989-92) career total of 2,664 for sixth on Ball State's all-time list.
● With her 21 digs last weekend, Kati Vasalakis continues to rank ninth on Ball State's all-time career digs list at 1,153 … Vasalakis needs 52 more digs to pass Megan Hammons (1998-2001) career total of 1,204 for eighth on Ball State's career chart.
● Ball State head coach Steve Shondell is in his fourth season as a voting member of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll.
