Volleyball Battles MAC West Leader NIU Friday

Friday, October 7

DeKalb, Ill.

8:00 PM

Ball State University

Northern Illinois

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

October 05, 2016 | Women's Volleyball

Match Notes - NIU / WMU

MATCH 19 • Ball State at Northern Illinois
Friday, Oct. 7 • 7 p.m. (CT) • DeKalb, Ill.
Live Stats | NIUTube Live Video (PPV)

MATCH 20 • Ball State at Western Michigan
Saturday, Oct. 8 • 3 p.m. • Kalamazoo, Mich.
Live Stats

• The Ball State women's volleyball team returns to the road Friday for a pivotal Mid-American Conference West Division showdown at division-leading Northern Illinois ... First serve is set for 7 p.m. (CT) at NIU's Victor E. Court which will also serve as the site of the 2016 MAC Tournament ... The Cardinals will then make the drive to Kalamazoo, Mich., for a 3 p.m. Saturday showdown at Western Michigan.

• Since starting the season 0-9, Ball State has been one of the hottest teams in the MAC, going 7-2 over its last nine matches ... Miami, which has won 11 straight matches, is the only team with a better record than Ball State over the span ... Northern Illinois is also 7-2 over the span, having won its last seven matches.

• Ball State enters the week ranked second in the league with a 352-179 (.663) all-time MAC record ... Friday's opponent Northern Illinois is right behind the Cardinals in third at 242-138 (.637) ... The all-time leader in MAC wins is Saturday's opponent Western Michigan at 364-167 (.685).

• Northern Illinois holds a slim 32-30 lead in the all-time series versus Ball State after scoring a 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-12) sweep at Victory E. Court in the second meeting between the two teams last season on Nov. 7 ... The Cardinals won the first match at home by a score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21) on Oct. 7 ... The Huskies hold a 9-19 lead in matches played in DeKalb, with Ball State's last road win in the series coming Nov. 15, 2013 by a score of 3-0 (25-19, 25-17, 25-21).

• Ball State is 9-5 all-time in matches played on Oct. 7, including two straight wins at Central Michigan (3-1) in 2011 and at Toledo (3-2) in 2010 ... Friday's match will be the first time the Cardinals have battled Northern Illinois on the date.

• Thanks to three straight wins, Western Michigan holds a 45-42 edge in the all-time series versus the Cardinals ... Last season, the Broncos scored a 3-1 (25-21, 25-18, 25-27, 27-25) victory in Muncie (Oct. 3) and a 3-2 (27-25, 25-18, 17-25, 21-25, 15-9) win in Kalamazoo (Nov. 6) ... Ball State is 15-24 all-time in matches played in Kalamazoo, with its last win coming by a score of 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 18-16) on Sept. 26, 2014.

• Ball State is 14-2 all-time in matches played on Oct. 7, with its latest being a 3-1 loss at Eastern Michigan in 2011 ... The Cardinals had won 12-straight on the date prior to the 2011 loss ... Saturday's match will be the first meeting between Ball State and Western Michigan on the date.

• Over the team's current 7-2 run, Ball State is averaging 13.55 kills per set and out-hitting opponents .214 to .176 ... Sophomore right side Brooklyn Goodsel and redshirt junior outside hitter Sabrina Mangapora have been the main catalysts for the success with 133 kills apiece ... Each has scored at least 20 kills in a pair matches during the run.

• Sabrina Mangapora enters the week as the only player in the MAC to score at least 20 kills in three matches this season … Her career-high 22 kills versus Appalachian State (Sept. 10) rank as the sixth-best single match total in the MAC this season, while her 20 kills versus Valpo (Sept. 16) and at Omaha (Sept. 2) are tied for 13th.

• Brooklyn Goodsel has scored at least 20 kills in two matches this season, making her one of only three MAC players to accomplish the task twice, joining teammate Sabrina Mangapora and Ohio's Jaime Kosiorek ... Goodsel scored 20 kills in Ball State's MAC-opening win over Central Michigan (Sept. 23), while scoring a career-high 21 kills versus Toledo (Sept. 29).

• MAC players have combined to produce 20-or-more kills just 16 times this season, with Ball State's Sabrina Mangapora and Brooklyn Goodsel combining for five ... Western Michigan and Buffalo are the only other MAC teams with multiple players scoring at least 20 kills in a match.

• Ball State's offense has connected for a .214 attack percentage over the last nine matches, while hitting just .177 over the season's first nine matches ... The Cardinals defense has also vastly improved over the span, limiting opponents to a .176 rate of success after allowing opponents to connect at a .245 clip at the beginning of the year.

• Freshman libero Kate Avila has been a key defensive asset for the Cardinals over the last nine matches, collecting 188 digs for a team-best 4.95 digs-per-set average ... She recorded a career-high 36 digs in Ball State's win over Appalachian State (Sept. 10) which ties as the 19th-best single match total in program history ... It was the best individual effort in a match for a Ball State player since Oct. 29, 2010 when then-senior Alyssa Rio collected a career-high 44 digs versus Western Michigan.

• Kate Avila continues to be one of the top defenders in the MAC, ranking sixth in the conference with a 4.12 digs-per-set average this season ... Avila's 305 total digs rank fourth in the conference, while her 36 dig effort versus Appalachian State (Sept. 10) ranks as the fourth-best single match performance in the MAC this season ... Her 32 digs versus Valparaiso (Sept. 16) rank as the seventh-best single match performance and makes her one of only two MAC players to collect 30-or-more digs in multiple matches this season.

• Fellow freshman defensive specialist Hannah Smith has also make a huge impact on defense over the last nine matches, ranking second on the team in both digs (106) and digs-per-set average (2.79) ... She has tallied double-digit digs in six of Ball State's seven wins, including a career-high 18 vs. Appalachian State (Sept. 10) ... She has scored a perfect reception percentage in eight of the last nine matches and is second among Ball State's primary passers with a .970 (161-for-166) reception percentage for the year.

• Ball State's defense came up huge in the win over Appalachian State (Sept. 10), finishing the night with 110 digs which ties as the 13th-best single match performance in program history ... It was also the most digs in a match for Ball State since the team collected 123 versus Toledo on Sept. 28, 2006 ... In addition, the Cardinals held a +28 advantage in team digs with Appalachian State earning just 82 ... It was the biggest digs advantage for the Cardinals in a match in the rally scoring era (2001-present), with the previous best being 26 twice versus Eastern Michigan in 2008.

• Ball State freshman setter Amber Seaman opened her collegiate career with three consecutive assist/dig double-doubles at the Fort Wayne Invitational ... Her best match came versus host Fort Wayne (Aug. 27), when she logged 45 assists and career-highs of 22 digs and four service aces ... The last time a Ball State setter opened the season with three consecutive double-doubles was the 2013 season when Jackie Seidel (2010-13) accomplished the task versus Gardner Webb (Aug. 24), VCU (Aug. 25) and Illinois State (Aug. 25) ... Seaman currently has nine assist/dig double-doubles on the season.

• Amber Seaman's 22 digs at Fort Wayne (Aug. 27) are the most for a Ball State setter in a match in the rally scoring era (2001-present) ... The previous mark was 21 set by Jackie Seidel (2010-13) versus Toledo on Oct. 3, 2013 ... In addition, the 22 digs are the most for a Ball State setter since Emily Sallee (1997-2000) recorded 26 at Bowling Green on Sept. 22, 2000, which is tied as the program record for digs by a setter ... Wendy Carter (1993-96) also tallied 26 digs versus Bowling Green on Nov. 18, 1994.

• Ball State picked up its first ESPN3 victory of the season when it downed in-state rival Valparaiso 3-1 (25-23, 25-9, 21-25, 25-17) in its second match of the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge on Sept. 16 ... The 25-9 second set victory ties as the seventh-largest set victory for the Cardinals in the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) ... Ball State has won six sets by a score of 25-8 since 2008, with three coming in MAC play.