WVB Closes Regular Season Wednesday at Toledo

Match 30: Ball State (26-3; 16-1 MAC) at Toledo (19-10; 10-7 MAC)
   Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. ET - Savage Arena
   Live Stats | ESPN+

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the 2021 regular season Wednesday, when it travels to Toledo for a 6 p.m. first serve at Savage Arena.

It will be the Cardinals' (26-3; 16-1 Mid-American Conference) final tune-up before the 2021 MAC Volleyball Championships which will be hosted by Ball State on Nov. 21, 22 & 24 inside Worthen Arena.

2021 MAC Volleyball Championship Schedule
First Round: Sunday, Nov. 21
   4:30 p.m. - Match 1: No. 4 Seed vs. No. 5 Seed
7 p.m. - Match 2: No. 3 Seed vs. No. 6 Seed

Semifinals: Monday, Nov. 22
4:30 p.m. - Match 3: No. 1 Ball State vs. Match 1 Winner
7 p.m. - Match 4: No. 2 Bowling Green vs. Match 2 Winner

Championship: Wednesday, Nov. 24
   4:30 p.m. - Match 5: Championship Match

The Cardinals locked up hosting rights for the 2021 MAC Volleyball Championships last Saturday with a 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 15-9) victory at Eastern Michigan. The win, coupled with a Bowling Green loss at Ohio, helped Ball State secure at least a share of the program's ninth MAC Regular Season Championship in program history.

BSU's regular season titles have come in: 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2010, and 2021.

The Cardinals can clinch the regular season title outright Wednesday, with either a win at Toledo or a BGSU loss to Miami.

In addition to the top two seeds, Ball State (16-1 MAC) and Bowling Green (15-2 MAC), we already know the four other teams heading to Muncie for the tournament are Western Michigan (11-6 MAC), Ohio (11-6 MAC), Toledo (10-7 MAC), and Northern Illinois (9-8 MAC). However, tomorrow's matches will determine the final seeding of the event.

Looking back at Ball State, the team enters Wednesday's contest at Toledo on a 16-match winning streak which is the fifth-longest active streak in the nation. Only Louisville (25), BYU (18) and Western Kentucky (17), and Dayton (17) have longer active winning streaks as of matches played through Nov. 14.

The Cardinals also climbed to 33rd in the latest NCAA RPI rankings released Monday, which is the program's highest ranking since it was 33rd in the Oct. 30, 2011 release. BSU climbed as high as 30th that season, in the Oct. 23 release, for the highest ranking with current head coach Kelli Miller Phillips on staff. Phillips was an assistant under then-head coach Steve Shondell at the time.

Ball State has been ranked as high as 22nd in the final 2002 NCAA RPI, while it also reached 30th in the 2000 NCAA tournament selection rankings.

The Cardinals have climbed up the rankings by boasting one of the nation's most effective offenses, ranking 18th nationally with a .273 hitting percentage. The mark is on pace to shatter the current program record for hitting percentage in a season which is .262 set by the 1998 squad. Overall, the Cardinals have hit .200-or-above in 28 of its 29 matches this season, including above .300 marks nine times.

That has been a big key to the Cardinals' success this season, as BSU has successfully been able to spread out its offense and keep opponents guessing on every swing. Six different Ball State players enter the weekend averaging at least 1.78 kills per set, while as seventh is smashing at least 1.38 kills per set.

Bulmahn leads the club with a 3.06 kills-per-set average, while opposite Natalie Mitchem is not far behind at 2.86. Rounding out Ball State's top attackers are outside Emily Hollowell (2.41), middle Marie Plitt (2.39), middle Lauren Gilliland (1.98), outside Cait Snyder (1.78), and outside Natalie Risi (1.38).

Playing a large role in guiding the offense has been Wielonski who is third in the MAC with a 10.79 assist-per-set average. In fact, Wielonski set Ball State to a .476 attack percentage in the sweep of St. Thomas (Aug. 27), which ranks as the third-best single match team performance in program history.

Current libero Maggie Huber leads the Ball State defense with a 3.69 digs-per-set average, while Risi has a team-best 309 digs and Wielonski is second on the squad with 286 total digs. At the net, Gilliland leads the squad at 0.90 blocks per set, while Plitt and Mitchem are not far behind at 0.81 and 0.69, respectively.

As a team, the Cardinals are limiting opponents to a .203 attack percentage, which ranks as the third-best defense in the MAC. BSU also ranks fifth in the MAC at 2.06 blocks per set and sixth in the league at 15.63 digs per set.

BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL QUICK HITS:

The first MAC team to reach 20 wins this season, thanks to its 3-0 sweep at Western Michigan (Oct. 23), Ball State enters Wednesday's match at Toledo tied with Creighton for the NCAA Division I lead with 26 total victories. In addition, Ball State's .897 (26-3) winning percentage is tied for sixth with Creighton (.897 / 26-3) … The duo trail only Louisville (1.000 / 25-0), BYU (.962 / 25-1), Western Kentucky (.960 / 24-1), Texas (.952 / 20-1), and Pittsburgh (.923 / 24-2).
The Oct. 30 sweep of Miami was a special one for head coach Kelli Miller Phillips, as she earned her 100th career victory … Phillips enters Wednesday's match at Toledo with a 104-63 (.623) career record in six seasons … During the 2020-21 spring season, Phillips was credited with a 4-9 overall record after missing the early portion of the year while on maternity leave … Assistant coach Fritz Rosenberg was elevated to acting head coach for those contests and was credited with a 5-3 record.
In addition to leading the MAC and ranking 18th nationally with a .273 team hitting percentage, Ball State features three of the top eight attackers in the league based on attack percentage … Middle Lauren Gilliland ranks first in the conference and is 44th nationally at .373 … Middle Marie Plitt is third in the MAC and 59th nationally at .361, while opposite Natalie Mitchem is seventh in the MAC at .315.
Setter Megan Wielonski enters Wednesday's match at Toledo ranked third nationally with her 1,176 total assists, while her 10.79 assists-per-set average is 22nd … She is just the 16th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career assists, with her total currently ranking 13th on BSU's all-time list … In addition, she is just the third player in program history to record over 1,000 assists as a freshman, joining Brittany McGinnis (1,245 in 2008) and Emily Sallee (1,387 in 1997).
In addition to being one of the top setters in the MAC, Megan Wielonski has also proven to be the league's top server ranking first at 0.45 aces per set … In fact, Wielonski's 49 service aces, including a career-high seven vs. Ohio (Sept. 30), are first in the league and rank 10th among all NCAA Division I players nationwide … The total currently ranks as the 14th-most in a single season in program history, with the record being 70 by Barbara Harrison in 1988.
Outside Jaclyn Bulmahn has made her presence felt in the Ball State lineup, ranking first on the squad with a 3.06 kills-per-set average this season … A First Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection at Valparaiso last season, Bulmahn has reached double digits in 19 matches so far this season, including a season-high 20 kills in last Friday's four-set win at Eastern Michigan … She also tallied 19 kills in a three-set win at Kent State (Sept. 25) which tie as the second-most in a three-set match in the MAC this season … She registered a career-high 23 kills versus Southern Illinois (Feb. 14, 2021) during her 2021 spring season at Valpo.
Jaclyn Bulmahn enters Wednesday's match at Toledo with 980 career kills, including 321 so far in her first season at Ball State … The 321 kills top her previous season-best of 277 set her junior year at Valpo … She is also on pace to top her previous career-best kills-per-set average, which was 3.05 set with the Beacons last season.
Opposite Natalie Mitchem has also smashed double-digit kills in 19 of BSU's 29 matches this season, including tying her career high with 21 in the win over Toledo (Oct. 19) … Percentage wise, she has hit .400-or-better nine times, including five of the last 11 matches … She has also turned in a strong effort at the net this season, averaging 0.69 blocks per set with at least one block in 26 matches, including tying her career high with seven blocks versus Northern Illinois (Oct. 15).
So far this season, the Cardinals have turned to three different liberos, most recently having Maggie Huber suit up in the off-colored jersey for the last 11 matches … Huber has done a solid job in the role, securing double figure digs in each contest and averaging 5.18 digs per set … Defensive specialist Kate Vinson was BSU's libero for the first 10 matches of the season and currently ranks second on the team with a 2.88 digs-per-set average … Natalie Risi took over the role for the next eight matches, and leads the squad with 309 total digs … Risi averages 2.83 digs per set.
Natalie Risi move back to the left side for the Northern Illinois series and did not disappointed … She set the tone for the Ball State block in the series-opening win over the Huskies (Oct. 15), registering solo blocks on two of the first five points … She tallied three total solo blocks in the match and added another late in the third set of the Oct. 16 sweep to help the Cardinals stomp out an NIU rally attempt … Risi has also been a solid attacking option for BSU over the last 11 matches, ranking third on the team at 2.62 kills per set … She has logged double-digit kills in five of the last seven matches, including a season-high 15 in BSU's MAC regular season championship clinching victory at Eastern Michigan (Nov. 13)
Ball State enters Wednesday's match at Toledo with a 967-623-2 (.608) all-time record in women's volleyball in its 50th season of play … In addition, the Cardinals are tied with Western Michigan for the all-time best record in Mid-American Conference play at 417-212 (.663) … Toledo is 11th all-time based on winning percentage at .307 (193-435).
With an 11-0 record at home during the 2021 regular season, the Cardinals own a 292-93 (.758) all-time record in Worthen Arena … BSU is even more dominate in Worthen Arena versus MAC foes, with a 214-57 (.790) mark.
Ball State holds a commanding 70-11 lead in the all-time series versus Toledo after earning a 3-1 (19-25, 25-19, 26-24, 25-20) victory in the first meeting between the two teams played this season on Oct. 19 in Worthen Arena … Overall, Ball State has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series … However, the team's split a pair five setters at Savage Arena during the 2020-21 COVID-19 Spring Season … The Rockets won the first match 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 25-21, 20-25, 21-19) on Feb. 4, while BSU took the second 3-2 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 15-25, 15-10) the following day … Overall, the Cardinals own a 30-6 record all-time in matches played in Toledo, Ohio.

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Players Mentioned

Jaclyn Bulmahn

Lauren Gilliland

Emily Hollowell

Maggie Huber

Natalie Mitchem

Marie Plitt

Natalie Risi

Cait Snyder

Kate Vinson

Megan Wielonski