Volleyball Travels to WMU & NIU This Weekend

Match 25 - Ball State (13-11; 7-5 MAC) at Western Michigan (13-11; 4-8 MAC)
Friday, Nov. 8 - 7 p.m. (Kalamazoo, Mich. / University Arena)
Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateWVB)

Match 26 - Ball State (13-11; 7-5 MAC) at Northern Illinois (8-18; 5-7 MAC)
Saturday, Nov. 9 - 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT (DeKalb, Ill. / Victor E. Court)
NIU All-Access ($6.95) | Live Stats | Social Media (@BallStateWVB)

• THE WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the road portion of its 2019 schedule this weekend with matches at Western Michigan (Friday) and Northern Illinois (Saturday) ... Both matches are set for 7 p.m. ET first serves, with Saturday's tilt in DeKalb, Illinois, beginning locally at 6 p.m. CT.

• QUICK LOOK AT THE STANDINGS: If the season were to end today, the Cardinals would be the fifth seed in the upcoming eight-team Mid-American Conference Championships with a 7-5 league record ... The top two seeds, along with the double byes in the tournament, are currently held by Miami and Central Michigan at 10-2, with the RedHawks owning the tiebreaker for the No. 1 seed ... Holding down the single-bye slots currently are Akron (9-3) and Bowling Green (8-4) ... Following the Cardinals, there is a four-way tie for final three spots at 5-7 ... Northern Illinois, Ohio and Kent State are the final three in currently, while Buffalo is on the outside of the group based on tiebreakers ... Western Michigan (4-8) and Eastern Michigan (4-8) are also still alive in the tournament race, while Toledo (0-12) has been eliminated from contention.

• WAYS TO FOLLOW: Fans can follow along with live stats for both matches this weekend courtesy of the host institutions ... In addition, Saturday's match at Northern Illinois will be streamed live on NIU All-Access ($6.95) ... Another great way to follow the Cardinals this season is on social media ... For in-match updates, pre-match features, post-match stories, videos and photos, fans can follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat @BallStateWVB.

• SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN: The Broncos enter Friday's match with a 13-11 (4-8 MAC) record ... Last weekend, WMU suffered a 3-1 loss at Central Michigan Friday, before rebounding for a 3-1 win at Eastern Michigan Saturday ... Western Michigan ranks sixth in the MAC in hitting percentage (.215), while its opponent hitting percentage (.221) is ninth ... The Broncos are also ninth in blocks per set (1.72) and digs per set (15.41) ... Individually, WMU's Rachel Bontrager leads the league with a 3.78 kills-per-set average, while Kathleen Reilly is third with a 5.32 digs-per-set average.

• SERIES VS. WMU: Thanks to a 3-1 (25-20, 25-15, 22-25, 25-18) victory in the first meeting this season, played Oct. 5, the Cardinals hold a 49-47 lead in the all-time series versus Western Michigan ... Ball State has won the last three matches between the two programs and has also won three straight contests at University Arena to improve to 18-23 all-time in Kalamazoo ... The Cardinals have also swept the last three regular season series.

• SCOUTING NORTHERN ILLINOIS: The Huskies enter the weekend with an 8-18 (5-7 MAC) record after being swept at both Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan last weekend ... NIU is last in the MAC in attack percentage (.184), opponent hitting percentage (.291) and blocks per set (1.45), while ranking 11th in digs per set (12.97) ... Individually, Huskies libero Miranda Karlen is ninth in the MAC in digs per set (4.31) and seventh in aces per set (0.31), while Jasmine Kemp ranks seventh in attack percentage (.334).

• SERIES VS. NIU: While Ball State has won the last two meetings in the series, it still trails the Huskies 33-36 all-time ... In the first meeting this season, the Cardinals earned a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 26-24) sweep in Worthen Arena on Oct. 4 ... Ball State is 10-21 all-time in matches played in DeKalb, with its last road win in the series coming Nov. 10, 2017 by a score of 3-1 (13-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-13).

BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL QUICK HITS
• Ball State boasts a 925-607-2 (.604) all-time record in women's volleyball in its 48th season of play ... The Cardinals have won nine MAC West Division Championships, eight MAC Regular Season Championships, six MAC Tournament Championships, made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament and earned one bid into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

• Ball State enters the weekend with a 388-199 (.661) all-time record in MAC play which is tied with Friday's opponent Western Michigan for the best all-time league mark ... Saturday's opponent Northern Illinois is fourth all-time based on winning percentage at 274-162 (.628).

• With a 7-4 home record this season, including five-set wins over Toledo (Oct. 31) and Buffalo (Nov. 2) last week, Ball State maintains a 275-87 (.760) all-time record in Worthen Arena, including a 199-51 (.796) mark versus MAC foes ... No league foe has a winning record at Worthen Arena.

• Esther Grussing was named the MAC West Division Setter of the Week for the first time in her career after helping guide the Cardinals to a pair of five-set wins last week ... The 5-foot-8 redshirt freshman from Willmar, Minnesota, helped Ball State connect for a .265 (145-46-374) attack percentage for the week, dishing out 11.62 assists per set ... She also turned in a solid effort in the backcourt, tying her career-high with 14 digs versus Toledo (Oct. 31) and averaging 2.25 digs per set ... Grussing dished out a career-best 64 assists in the win over the Rockets, helping guide five different Ball State attackers to double-digit kills in the victory.

• One of the five Cardinals with double-digit kills in the win over Toledo (Oct. 31) was freshman outside Natalie Risi who tallied a career-high 27 ... The 27 kills tie as the 19th-best single-match effort in program history, are the second-most in a match in the MAC this season and are the most for a Ball State player since Rachel Refenes (2004-05) scored 27 versus Western Michigan on Oct. 1, 2004.

• Over the last two matches in October, Natalie Risi collected 52 total kills with 25 coming versus Bowling Green (Oct. 26) and 27 against Toledo (Oct. 31) ... Risi's total is the most for a Ball State attacker in consecutive matches since Sarah Obras (2002-05) smashed 56 in 2004, with 30 at Toledo on Sept. 25, 2004 and 26 versus Western Michigan on Oct. 1, 2004.

• Freshman outside attacker Natalie Risi joined elite company with her back-to-back 20-or-more kill performances, becoming just the second Ball State freshman in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to smash 20-or-more kills in multiple matches in her debut season ... The only other was Ball State's all-time career kills leader Sarah Obras (2002-05) who smashed 20-or-more kills in nine matches her freshman season (2002) on her way to 1,975 career kills.

• Natalie Risi is not the only Ball State freshman to register at least 20 kills in a match this season however, as outside attacker Natalie Mitchem blasted a career-high 21 kills versus USF (Aug. 30) to become the fourth Ball State player in the rally scoring era (2001-present) to register 20-or-more kills in a match as a freshman ... Prior to the Mitchem, the last player to accomplish the feat was Julie Breivogel (2006-09) with 24 kills versus Toledo on Sept. 28, 2006 ... Before that, it was Kelly Cochran (2003-06) on Nov. 7, 2003 with 20 kills at Toledo.

• Speaking of players scoring 20-more-more kills in a match, junior outside attacker Kia Holder became the third Ball State player to pass the mark this season with her career-high 21 blasts in last Saturday's win over Buffalo ... It was the second straight solid performance from the Valparaiso, Indiana, product who was second on the squad with 13 kills against Toledo (Oct. 31) ... Prior to last weekend, in which she scored 34 kills, Holder had just 31 kills in 11 matches on the year.

• One of only two players to see action in all 95 sets for the Cardinals this season, Natalie Risi leads the Ball State offense with 278 kills and is third on the team with 260 digs ... She has smashed double-figure kills in a team-high 14 matches, including nine of the last 11 ... She has also been credited with double-digit digs in 11 matches and has recorded a team-high seven kill/dig double-double on the year ... Risi's 278 kills are also the most for a Ball State freshman since Sabrina Mangapora (2014-16) collected 289 in her redshirt freshman season in 2014.

• The other player to see action in all 95 sets for the Cardinals this season is senior Kate Avila who has played all 459 sets over her collegiate career, including 453 as Ball State's libero ... Only six players in program history have played in more sets than Avila, with the program record being 473 by Tiffany Stevens (1992-95) ... Avila could pass four more players on the list (see page 5) this weekend if she sees action in the minimum number of six sets.

• Kate Avila enters Friday's match at Western Michigan with 2,086 career digs, which is four shy of passing Alyssa Rio's (2007-10) career total of 2,089 for second on Ball State's all-time list ... Avila entered the Bowling Green (Oct. 26) match three digs shy of becoming just the third player in program history to reach the 2,000 career mark ... She got those early in the first set and never looked back, registering a career-high 38 digs to lead a solid defensive effort against the Falcons.

• Kate Avila still has a chance to become the program's all-time career leader by the end of the season, needing just 187 more digs to pass the current record of 2,273 ... Averaging 4.37 digs per set this season, Avila would need to play in 43 more sets to pass the total ... Interestingly enough, she has the old record holder to thank for her defensive prowess as Stephanie Keller (2001-04) was Avila's high school coach at Yorktown.

• With double-figure digs in both matches last weekend, Kate Avila has now collected 10-or-more digs in a program-record 109 career matches ... The previous record was 101 set by Stephanie Keller (2001-04) and later tied by Catie Fredrich (2010-13) ... In addition, Avila has collected 20-or-more digs in 44 career matches, which is tied for third in program history ... The program record is 49 by Alyssa Rio (2007-2010).

• Amber Seaman, the reigning MAC Setter of the Year and a six-time career MAC Setter of the Week honoree, did something she had never done before in the match versus Bowling Green (Oct. 26) ... She dished out a career-high 62 assists versus the Falcons, marking the first time Seaman has passed out over 57 assists in a match ... The total ties as the fourth-most assists in a match in the MAC this season ... Over her career, Seaman has recorded 30-or-more assists on 80 occasions, 40-or-more 46 times, 50-or-more in 16 matches and 60-or-more once.

• Amber Seaman has established herself as one of the top setters in program history, entering Friday's match at Western Michigan ranked fifth on Ball State's career charts with 3,956 assists ... Seaman, who also ranks sixth with a 10.02 career assist-per-set average, needs just 44 more assists to become only the fifth Cardinal to hand out at least 4,000 career assists.

• Amber Seaman has also gotten things done from behind the service line over her career, ranking sixth in program history with 135 aces ... Seaman, who served up 51 aces last season, joins Emily Sallee (1997-2000) and Brittany McGinnis (2008-11) as the only three players to reach 3,000 career assists and 100 career aces in a Ball State uniform.

• Recognized by PrepVolleyball.com as one of the top 55 recruiting classes in the nation, earning "Highest Honorable Mention" accolades, Ball State's 2019 freshman class did something no other class in program history has accomplished in the Sept. 6 win over Grand Canyon ... Five members of the class smashed double digit kills in the victory, marking the first time five members of the same class have accomplished the feat in program history ... Outside Natalie Risi led the way with a career-high 17 kills, while opposite Allison Hamaker was right behind with a 16 ... Outside Natalie Mitchem collected 14 kills, while middles Marie Plitt and MyKel Ivy finished the night with 11 and 10, respectively.

• Including redshirt freshman Esther Grussing, Ball State's freshmen have accounted for 73.7 percent of the team's kills (942 of 1278), 59.7 percent of the team's digs (843 of 1575), 60.5 percent of the team's aces (72 of 119), 58.6 percent of the team's blocks (147 of 251) and 39.2 percent of the team's assists (464 of 1181) this season.

• Freshman defensive specialist Chloe Rickenbach became the third different Ball State player to log 20-or-more digs in a match this season with her career-high 24 versus Bowling Green (Oct. 26) ... Rickenbach also turned in an impressive serving performance versus Missouri State (Sept. 21), earning a career-high six aces ... It's the highest total for a Ball State player since Amber Seaman served up six aces versus Ohio on Oct. 12, 2018 ... In the 48-year history of the program, a Cardinal has served up six-or-more aces just 35 times.

• Freshman defensive specialist Maggie Huber has also been solid in the back row, recording double-digit digs in 18 matches this season, including each of the last 11 ... She ranks second on the team with 270 digs and has led the Cardinals in digs in eight matches this season.

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Players Mentioned

Kate Avila

Esther Grussing

Allison Hamaker

Kia Holder

Maggie Huber

MyKel Ivy

Natalie Mitchem

Marie Plitt

Chloe Rickenbach

Natalie Risi

Amber Seaman