Volleyball Set To Bring In Another Talented Freshman Class

MUNCIE, Ind. - - Ball State women's volleyball is no stranger to success, and based on their high school careers, the four-member 2020 recruiting class head coach Kelli Miller Phillips and her staff have put together will help bolster the program's storied tradition.

Combined, the Cardinals four incoming student-athletes have won five state championships, recorded a total of 16 winning seasons and boast a 461-77 overall record.

"We are extremely excited to add these four awesome student-athletes to our program," Phillips said about the entire class. "They all come from great high school and club programs which will help them be prepared to step right in and help us next fall. They each bring a competitive spirit, high energy and great volleyball IQs which will help us continue to build upon our Ball State volleyball tradition. On top of being great volleyball players, they are great in the classroom and great people that our staff and team will enjoy spending time with on and off the court."

In addition to their success on the court, all four recruits reside within a two-hour radius of Ball State's campus, helping the Cardinals keep some of the top local talent in the area.

Set to join the Cardinals next season are; Zoe Conway (New Castle, Ind./New Castle), Lauren Gilliland (Coldwater, Ohio/Coldwater), Cait Snyder (Hamilton, Ind./Angola) and Kate Vinson (Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown).

Below is more information on each of Ball State's four additions.

Name: Zoe Conway
Position: Defensive Specialist
Hometown (High School): New Castle, Ind. (New Castle)

MILLER PHILLIPS ON CONWAY: Zoe has a great touch on the ball and is confident handling the ball in pressure situations. She's not afraid to throw her body around and do whatever it takes to keep the ball off the floor. She serves a tough floater that causes opponents havoc. She is always communicating and bringing energy to her teammates and pushing others around her to be their best. I love her enthusiasm and positive attitude and am excited to add her to our team!

HIGH SCHOOL:  A four-year letterwinner in volleyball for coach Sarah Roush at New Castle, Conway helped lead the Trojans to three consecutive IHSAA State Volleyball Championships with two coming in 3A (2017 & 2018) and the most recent in 4A (2019) … her teams went a combined 131-21 over her career, including a 35-1 record her senior season which saw Conway collect 231 digs, hand out 57 assists and serve up 54 aces … she was named first team all-state and Courier Times First Team All-County as a junior … overall Conway helped guide New Castle to two conference championships, three sectional championships, three regional championships, three semi-state championships and three state championships … she finished her career with 1110 digs, 187 aces and 147 assists over 434 sets played.

CLUB:  Conway has played nine seasons for the Munciana Volleyball Club with top ten finishes every year at the national tournament, including runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2018.

WHY BALL STATE:   I chose Ball State because it had everything I was looking for in a school. The team and coaches made me feel like I was at home right away. It is close to my family and gives me the opportunity to pursue a degree while being surrounded by people who genuinely care about me. The coaching staff was so welcoming, it made my decision very easy!

Name: Lauren Gilliland
Position: Middle Blocker
Hometown (High School): Coldwater, Ohio (Coldwater)

MILLER PHILLIPS ON GILLILAND: Lauren is a great all-around athlete that just continues to get more and more dominate each year. She has great lateral quickness, jumps effortlessly and has a quick arm. As a multi-sport high school athlete, Lauren has been able to use the skills, mental toughness and athleticism she's learned in other sports to translate into being a great middle blocker and attacker. She is great off one foot behind the setter and is physical at the net when blocking. She's one of those people who I always enjoy watching because of her competitive spirit and gritty work ethic.

HIGH SCHOOL:  A four-year letterwinner in volleyball for coach Nikki Etzler at Coldwater, Gilliland smashed a team-high 438 kills and hit .410 to help guide the Cavaliers to a 20-6 record as a senior … she also collected 76 total blocks, including 29 solo blocks, while serving up 55 aces on her way to earning AVCA High School All-Region 5 Team and All-American Honorable Mention honors her final season … a four-time first team All-Mid-West Athletic Conference honoree, she was named first team all-state and the MAC Player of the Year as both a junior and a senior … helped guide Coldwater to an 88-20 record over her career … three-time all-district and the Division 3 District 8 Player of the Year as a senior … smashed 381 kills and hit .356 as a junior … helped guide the Cavaliers to a state runner-up finish as a sophomore … finished her career with 1,275 kills, a .383 attack percentage, 403 total blocks, 145 solo blocks and 95 aces … Also earned four letters in basketball and one in track … two-time first team all-MAC in basketball.

CLUB:  Gilliland has played three seasons for the Munciana Volleyball Club.

WHY BALL STATE:   I chose Ball State University because it simply stood out to me in many different ways. When I was young, I remember coming to visit my brothers at Ball State and watching volleyball games. I would sit in the stands just dreaming of playing in the arena for those coaches someday. Ball State is such a beautiful campus, filled with great coaches and people which made the decision that much easier.

NOTE: Her brother Greg Gilliland was a member of the Ball State football program for three seasons (2015-17), serving as the team's long snapper on punts in 10 games in 2017 … Her cousin Keith Wenning played four seasons (2010-13) for the Ball State football team and owns the program records for career touchdown passes (91), passing yards (11,187), pass completions (1,012) and pass attempts (1,598) … the first quarterback in program history to pass for 10,000-or-more career yards, Wenning also owns the program records for games with 300-or-more passing yards (16), games with 400-or-more passing yards (3) and touchdown passes in a game with six versus Miami in 2013.

Name: Cait Snyder
Position: Outside Hitter
Hometown (High School): Hamilton, Ind. (Angola)

MILLER PHILLIPS ON SNYDER: Cait is another fun one to watch. She's a high flyer with a super-fast arm. She can put heat on the ball, but also has the finesse to mix in off speed rolls and tips. She has worked hard at her back court game as well to become a strong six-rotation player that can serve tough, dig balls, and pass the serve with confidence, on top of scoring in the front row. She is a player that really enjoys competing and playing volleyball and her teammates definitely feed off her enthusiasm.

HIGH SCHOOL:  A four-year letterwinner in volleyball for coach Lloy Ball at Angola, Snyder helped guide the Hornets to a 107-30 record over her career … she tallied 325 kills and secured 32 blocks as a senior to help lead Angola to a 27-5 record … she was named all-conference in all four seasons, as well as to the AVCA High School All-Region Team and PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces Top 150 list as a senior … a two-time Angola Best Offensive Player award winner, she was also named to the PrepVolleyball.com Frosh 59 Special Mention List and was an ICGSA All-State First Team selection as a sophomore … overall Snyder helped guide Angola to three Northeast Corner Conference regular season championships, two NECC tournament championships and a sectional championship her senior year… she finished her career with 1204 kills, 112 blocks, 841 digs and 232 aces.

CLUB:  Snyder played eight seasons for Empowered, Team Pineapple.

WHY BALL STATE:   I chose Ball State because it felt like home away from home and has a great coaching staff. Ball State also has a strong tradition of volleyball. It is also close enough for my parents to come and watch me play.

Name: Kate Vinson
Position: Defensive Specialist / Setter
Hometown (High School): Yorktown, Ind./Yorktown

MILLER PHILLIPS ON VINSON: Kate is a versatile player that is not only a lights out passer, but she can also set and run an offense at a very high level. Kate has a very natural touch on her platform that allows her to pinpoint her passes to target. She reads well on defense and makes digging look effortless. She's always cool, calm and collected in high pressure situations and is used to taking charge in big moments; whether that be passing or setting. As a setter, she is quick to the ball, feels her hitters well and puts the ball where her hitters need it. Her versatility, ball control, and competitiveness will be great to have in our gym.

HIGH SCHOOL:  A four-year letterwinner in volleyball for coach Stephanie Bloom (who played four seasons for the Cardinals from 2001-04 and ranks first in program history and third in MAC history with 2,273 career digs) at Yorktown … helped guide the Tigers to a 135-6 record over her career, including an undefeated 34-0 record and an IHSAA Class 4A State Championship her junior year … also helped Yorktown capture the IHSAA Class 3A State Championship as a freshman … dished out 1,078 assists as a senior, to go along with 203 digs, 34 kills and 23 aces … a two-time MaxPreps.com/AVCA National High School Player of the Week honoree over her career, she was also a first team all-conference and first team all-county as a junior … named IHSVCA Academic All-State, along with team captain, as a senior … helped guide the Tigers to four Delaware Country championships, three Hoosier Heritage Conference titles, three sectional titles, three regional titles, two semi-state championships and a pair of state titles … finished her career with 2,505 assists, 810 digs, 122 aces and 69 kills over 400 sets played.

CLUB:  Vinson has played 10 seasons for the Munciana Volleyball Club, helping guide the program to an AAU 16 Open National Runner-Up finish in 2018 … a two-time AAU All-American, earning honors at the 14 Open (2016) and 17 Open (2019).

WHY BALL STATE:   I chose Ball State because of the volleyball coaches, staff and players. They made me feel like I could be myself and I knew they wanted me on their team as a player and as a person. I love how close it is to my home. Being in my hometown will allow me to attend games of my younger siblings and will allow them to come watch me as well.

Volleyball Set To Bring In Another Talented Freshman Class

Related Videos