Ball State University Athletics
WVB Hosts Active Ankle Challenge This Weekend
August 27, 2015 | Women's Volleyball
Match 1
Ball State vs. Albany
Friday, Aug. 28 (Noon)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Live Stats
Promotions: ChirpChirpFriday - Fans are encouraged to wear their Cardinal and White and share images of themselves Chirping to the action via social media using the hashtag ChirpChirpFriday.
Match 2
Ball State vs. Belmont
Friday, Aug. 28 (7:30 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Live Stats
Promotions: ChirpChirpFriday - Fans are encouraged to wear their Cardinal and White and share images of themselves Chirping to the action via social media using the hashtag ChirpChirpFriday.
Match 3
Ball State vs. New Mexico
Saturday, Aug. 29 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Live Stats | ESPN3 Live Video | Sports Link Radio
Season Tickets: Season tickets (brochure) are still available for the 2015 Ball State women's volleyball season ... General Admission Season Tickets are $39 ($33 off the single-match price) and Youth General Admission Season Tickets are $25 for ages 2-18 ($11 off single-match price) ... Single-match prices are: $6 for Adults and $3 for Youth (Ages 2-18).
► THE WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State women's volleyball team opens its 44th season of play Friday, when it hosts Albany (Noon) and Belmont (7:30 p.m.) on the first day of the 2015 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge ... The Cardinals close the two-day tournament Saturday by battling New Mexico (7 p.m.) in the first of five Ball State home matches which will be broadcast live by ESPN3.
► BALL STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ON ESPN3: Five Ball State women's volleyball home matches will appear live on ESPN3 during the 2015 season, starting with Saturday's contest versus New Mexico ... In addition, ESPN3 will carry the following home matches: IPFW (Sept. 16), Northern Illinois (Oct. 2), Miami (Oct. 23) and Toledo (Oct. 29) ... Joel Godett will be the play-by-play voice of the Cardinals during the broadcasts, while four-year letterwinner (2007-10) and one-year student assistant coach (2011) Alyssa Rio will serve as the analyst ... ESPN3 is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast (via the WatchESPN app), Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
► CARDINALS ALL-TIME: The Ball State women's volleyball team enters 2015 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge with an 843-540-2 (.609) all-time record ... The Cardinals boast a 104-51 (.671) mark under sixth-year head coach Steve Shondell, including a 56-24 (.700) ledger in MAC play.
►IN THE MAC: Ball State enters the 2015 season with a 341-170 (.667) all-time record in Mid-American Conference matches, which ranks second among all league schools ... Western Michigan is first with a 354-157 (.693) all-time league mark.
► FROM THE NEST: Ball State finished the 2014 season with an 8-3 record in home matches, moving its all-time record in Worthen Arena to 232-69 (.771) ... The Cardinals went 6-2 at home in MAC action in 2014, improving to 172-40 (.811) versus MAC teams in Worthen Arena.
► VERSUS THE CHALLENGE FIELD: Ball State is 1-1 versus the 2015 Ball State Active Ankle Challenge field ... The Cardinals scored a 3-0 (30-16, 30-23, 30-19) win in the only previous meeting versus Albany Sept. 3, 2004 ... New Mexico earned a 3-1 (10-15, 15-9, 15-8, 15-7) victory in the only previous contest versus the Cardinals Sept. 16, 1995 ... Ball State and Belmont have never met in women's volleyball.
QUICK HITS
● Ball State is 22-21 all-time in season-opening matches, including a 10-8 mark in home openers.
● Ball State has won all five previous season openers under Steve Shondell, with all five being three set sweeps ... 2010 vs. The Citadel (25-15, 25-16, 25-17), 2011 vs. Loyola-Chicago (25-10, 25-19, 25-19), 2012 vs. Gardner-Webb (25-8, 25-20, 25-20), 2013 vs. Austin Peay (25-19, 25-23, 26-24) and 2014 vs. Western Illinois (25-15, 25-23, 25-14).
● The Ball State roster features 13 players standing 6-foot-0 or taller, including two of the three tallest players in the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge; redshirt freshman Meg Starling (6-6) and freshman Amanda Litviak (6-5) ... Ball State's average height is 6-0, followed by New Mexico at 5-10.3, Albany at 5-9.9 and Belmont at 5-9.7.
● New Mexico head coach Jeff Nelson was a two-year letterwinner (1985-86) for the Ball State men's volleyball program ... He helped guide the 1985 team to the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament titles, as well as a fourth-place showing in the NCAA Championships ... In his two seasons, Nelson logged 180 digs, 40 assists, 33 kills and 31 service aces.
● Setter Jenna Spadafora enters her senior season ranked 10th in program history with 1,673 career assists ... In 2014, she dished out 1,245 assists tying the ninth-best single season total in program history.
SHONDELL QUOTABLES
● On the Preseason:
"I have seen a lot of progress from our team during the preseason, particularly from the freshmen. The real rewarding part of the preseason is working with the younger players. Meeting them, allowing them to become part of the team and seeing them grow and improve those first couple of weeks."
● Keys To Success:
"We are going to have to really ball control well to be successful. If we receive serve well, play solid backcourt defense and serve well; those three skills will keep this team in matches ... Another big key is who is going to score. That is the million-dollar question with this team. Who is going to put the ball to the floor. If we can score, we are going to have the chance to be successful, but if we cannot put the ball away, we are going to be in trouble."
● Key Matches In 2015:
"We are going to find out real quick how good we are when we play New Mexico. They are a top-50 program, loaded with experience. That match will give us an idea of what kind of team we have early ... Our first two weekends of MAC play are going to be really big for us. The matches at Toledo and Akron right off the bat are going to be important. Then we come home to face Northern Illinois and Western Michigan who are predicted to be two of the top teams in our division. Playing those matches at home is going to be huge for us. If we can get off to a good start those first two weekends, it will set the tone for the rest of the year."
SHONDELL'S PLAYERS TO WATCH
● KELLY HOPKINS:
A first team All-MAC selection in 2014, the Cardinals offense will rely heavily on the 6-foot-4 middle blocker from Kokomo, Ind. ... She posted double-digit kills in 15 matches for Ball State last season, including a career-high 17 at Eastern Michigan (Oct. 3).
● ALEX FUELLING:
After splitting time as an outside attacker, libero and defensive specialist in 2014, the Cardinals will look to the 5-foot-11 Decatur, Ind., native to reclaim her offensive prowess from the 2013 campaign ... In 2013, Fuelling led the squad and ranked fourth in the MAC with a 3.65 kills-per-set average, while blasting double-digit kills in 23 matches, including 20-or-more on three occasions
● BAILEY BAUMER:
The 2015 season looks to be a breakout year for the 5-foot-11 Batesville, Ind., product who will enter the season as one of the Cardinals top offensive threats on the outside ... As a freshman in 2014, Baumer mainly saw action as a defensive specialist.
