Volleyball Returns to the Road for Eagle Challenge

MATCH 9 • Ball State vs. Northern Kentucky
Friday, Sept. 9 • 1 p.m. • Morehead, Ky.
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MATCH 10 • Ball State at Morehead State
Friday, Sept. 9 • 7 p.m. • Morehead, Ky.
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MATCH 11 • Ball State vs. Appalachian State
Saturday, Sept. 10 • 11:30 a.m. • Morehead, Ky.
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• The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the road portion of its 2016 non-conference schedule this weekend when it travels to Morehead, Ky., for the Eagle Challenge ... The Cardinals will play a pair of Friday matches versus Northern Kentucky (1 p.m.) and tournament host Morehead State (7 p.m.) ... Ball State concludes the event Saturday against Appalachian State (11:30 a.m.).

• Ball State is a combined 14-3 versus teams in the Eagle Challenge field ... The all-time series with Northern Kentucky is currently tied at 2-2, with Ball State picking up a 2-1 (8-15, 15-9, 15-10) victory in the latest meeting, Oct. 20, 1981 in Oxford, Ohio ... The Cardinals hold an 11-0 lead in the all-time series versus Morehead State, including a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 28-26, 25-19) victory in Pullman, Wash., last season (Sept. 12) ... The all-time series with Appalachian State is currently tied at 1-1 after Ball State pulled out a hard-fought 3-2 (22-25, 12-25, 25-17, 25-22, 15-9) victory over the Mountaineers in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Sept. 18, 2010.

• Ball State is 8-3 all-time in matches played on Sept. 9, including a 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-15) triumph over Western Carolina in 2011 which is the last time the Cardinals played on the date ... Friday will mark the fourth time Ball State has played two Sept. 9 matches in the same year, with the team winning both contests on the three previous opportunities in 1989, 1995 and 2000.

• Ball State holds a 6-5 record in matches played on Sept. 10, including a split in 2011 ... After defeating Jacksonville State by a score of 3-1 (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-12), the Cardinals suffered a 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-9) setback at then 13th-ranked Purdue.

• Sophomore outside hitter Brooklyn Goodsel shined at the Omaha Classic, capping her weekend with a career-high 17 kills versus South Dakota (Sept. 3) to earn a spot on the all-tournament team … Overall, she notched double-digit kills in all three tournament matches, marking the first time in her career Goodsel has blasted 10-or-more kills in three consecutive matches ... In addition, she paced all players in last Saturday's match with a season-high .484 (17-2-331) attack percentage ... Over the course of the two-day tournament, Goodsel led Ball State with 43 kills and hit .350 (43-8-100).

• Brooklyn Goodsel turned in a strong all-around performance in the tournament opener at Omaha (Sept. 2) by smashing 15 kills, hitting .371 (15-2-35), serving up a career-high three aces and collecting a season-best 12 digs ... The effort marked her fourth career kill/dig double-double ... Later that day, Goodsel added 11 kills, eight digs and a season-high four blocks versus Drake (Sept. 2).

• Redshirt junior outside hitter Sabrina Mangapora became the first Ball State attacker to blast 20-or-more kills in a match this season when she connected for a career-high 20 kills at Omaha (Sept. 2) ... Mangapora is one of only five players in the MAC to record at least 20 kills in a match this season, and was the third player in the conference to accomplish the task.

• Sabrina Mangapora enters the Eagle Challenge as Ball State's top attacker with 78 kills and a 2.60 kills-per-set average ... Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Dunn has connected for double-digit kills in a team-high five matches and is second on the squad with 64 total kills ... After her solid showing at the Omaha Classic, Brooklyn Goodsel is second on the team with a 2.38 kills-per-set average.

• Freshman libero Kate Avila collected a career-high 26 digs at Omaha (Sept. 2), which currently stands as the fourth-best individual total in a match in the MAC this season ... She has recorded double-digit digs in all seven matches since taking over as the team's libero in the second set versus Murray State (Aug. 27) ... She has also climbed to 10th in the league's statistical rankings with a team-leading 3.34 digs-per-set average.

• In addition to leading Ball State on defense with 110 digs this season, Kate Avila has a team-best .979 (139 for 142) reception percentage among the Cardinals' primary passers ... In fact, Avila is the top-ranked passer among the MAC's top 10 backcourt defenders, with Western Michigan's Kathleen Reilly ranking second with a .972 (105-for-108) reception percentage ... MAC digs-per-set leader Challen Geraghty from Kent State is third at .970 (196 for 202).

• With nine kills versus IUPUI (Aug. 31), senior outside hitter Mackenzie Kitchel surpassed 500 career kills ... Ball State's active career kills leader at 531, Kitchel has led the Cardinals in kills 14 times over her career, including Wednesday's match versus Butler (Sept. 7) ... However, in last Saturday's match versus South Dakota (Sept. 3) Kitchel collected a career-high 16 digs to lead the Ball State defense for the first time in her career ... It was just the second time Kitchel has tallied double-figure digs in a match.

• 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 career-highs of 45 assists, 22 digs, five kills 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 added her fourth double-double of the season with 28 assists and 10 digs versus South Dakota (Sept. 3).

• 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 ... The previous mark was 21 set by Jackie Seidel (2010-13) versus Toledo (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 continues to be one of the top blocking teams in the MAC, ranking third in the league with a 2.00 blocks-per-set average ... Redshirt sophomore Avery Devoe has accumulated 20 blocks (one solo and 19 assists) and leads the team with an 0.83 blocks-per-set average ... Sophomore outside hitter Ellie Dunn has a team-high 21 blocks (two solo and 19 assists), while sophomore middle hitter Emily Holland is right behind the pair with 18 (one solo and 17 assists).

• Ball State's 2016 freshman class was named a PrepVolleyball.com Top 30 Recruiting Class Honorable Mention ... Combined, the five helped guide their programs to four Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) state championship titles, a pair of IHSAA state runner-up finishes and one national championship ... Ball State's 2016 freshman class includes: setter Amber Seaman from Brebeuf, libero Kate Avila from Yorktown, outside hitter/defensive specialist Anna Jensen from Indianapolis Cathedral, defensive specialist Hannah Smith from Wapahani and middle hitter Sydnee VanBeek from Illiana Christian.

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Players Mentioned

Kate Avila

Avery Devoe

Ellie Dunn

Brooklyn Goodsel

Emily Holland

Anna Jensen

Mackenzie Kitchel

Sabrina Mangapora

Amber Seaman

Hannah Smith

Sydnee VanBeek