Volleyball Selected to Win MAC West Division, Two Cardinals Earn Preseason Honors

CLEVELAND, Ohio - - The Mid-American Conference's 12 head coaches picked the Ball State women's volleyball program as the favorite to win the league's West Division in the annual preseason poll released Tuesday (Aug. 27).

In addition, senior setter Amber Seaman and senior middle blocker Sydnee VanBeek were named to the six-member Preseason All-MAC West Division Team.

As the two-time defending MAC West Division champions, Ball State received 10 of the 12 first-place votes and 68 total points to win the division. Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan each received one first place vote and were selected second (57) and third (43), respectively. Central Michigan (39), Northern Illinois (24) and Toledo (21) round out the division.

"While we are honored to be picked as the preseason favorite to win the MAC West Division, we know it's going to take our best effort every match for us to be in a position to win a title," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Right now, the strength of the MAC is anyone can beat anyone on a given night. There is not one night you can take a breather and think you don't have to come ready to play. You've got to make sure you're playing good volleyball if you're expecting to come out with a win in our league."

Seaman, the reigning MAC Setter of the Year, earned Preseason All-MAC West Division honors for the second straight season after guiding the Cardinals to a league-leading .235 attack percentage last season. Seaman also earned First Team All-MAC honors last season and was a five-time MAC West Division Setter of the Week honoree. She led the league with a 10.28 assists-per-set average and ranked third in the conference with a 0.43 aces-per-set mark.

VanBeek earned a nod on the Presaeason All-MAC West Division team for the first time in her career ranking fifth in the MAC with a 1.03 blocks-per-set average. A First Team All-MAC honoree a year ago, she finished second on the team with 306 kills and smashed double-digit kills in 17 matches.

"It's awesome to see the MAC coaches recognize Amber and Sydnee on the Preseason All-MAC West Team," Phillips said. "They have played major roles on our team for the past three years and I anticipate their senior year will be their best yet. They want to leave their mark on Ball State volleyball. They work hard each and every day to help us reach our goals. I definitely expect a lot from those two, but I know they expect even more out of themselves which is what makes them such great competitors and leaders on our team. I look forward to seeing where the senior class can take us this fall."

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State women's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateWVB and @VBCoachMiller on Twitter.

2019 MAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL

WEST Division - (first place votes) – points
1. Ball State (10) - 68
2. Western Michigan (1) - 57
3. Eastern Michigan (1) - 43
4. Central Michigan - 39
5. Northern Illinois - 24
6. Toledo - 21

EAST Division
1. Miami (9) - 68
2. Bowling Green (2) - 57
3. Ohio (1) - 52
4. Buffalo - 33
5. Kent State - 28
6. Akron - 14

Regular Season Champions: Miami (8), Bowling Green (2), Ohio (1), Western Michigan (1)

Tournament Champions: Miami (6), Bowling Green (4), Buffalo (1), Western Michigan (1)

Preseason West All-MAC Team
Amber Seaman, Ball State
Sydnee VanBeek, Ball State
Kalina Smith, Central Michigan
Cassie Haut, Eastern Michigan
Zoe Birnbrich, Toledo
Rachel Bontrager, Western Michigan

Preseason East All-MAC Team
Polina Prokudina, Buffalo
Gaby Harper, Miami
Margaret Payne, Miami
Vera Giacomazzi, Ohio
Tia Jimerson, Ohio
Lizzie Stephens, Ohio

- BallStateSports.com -

Volleyball Selected to Win MAC West Division, Two Cardinals Earn Preseason Honors

Players Mentioned

Amber Seaman

Sydnee VanBeek

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