Ball State University
Central Michigan
WVB Hosts Central Michigan For Weekend Series
March 18, 2021 | Women's Volleyball
| Ball State (7-9, 7-9 MAC) hosts Central Michigan (9-8, 9-8 MAC) | |
| Date/Time | Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. ET / Saturday, March 20 at 1 p.m. ET |
| Location | Worthen Arena |
| Live Video | Friday Live Video (one-camera feed) | Saturday Live Video (one-camera feed) |
| Sports Link Digital Radio | Friday SL Digital | Saturday SL Digital - TALENT: Lexi Eblen & Charlie Maurer |
| Tickets | NONE AVAILABLE |
| Game Notes | Ball State | Central Michigan |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Social Media | Twitter | Instagram |
THE WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State women's volleyball team closes the home portion of its 2020-21 spring schedule this weekend with a pair of matches versus Central Michigan ... The Cardinals and Chippewas will battle at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday inside Worthen Arena.
HOW TO FOLLOW: Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and resulting health department guidance, there will be no general public attendance at this weekend's matches versus Central Michigan ... A one-camera, live video feed will be provided for both matches and SL Digital will provide live audio ... Both feeds can be found on BallStateSports.com and the BSU Athletics digital app ... Live stats will also be available ... Links for all options to follow can be found above or on the women's volleyball schedule page.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS WEEK:
• With five matches remaining in the regular season, Ball State finds itself eighth in the MAC standings with a 7-9 record ... With only four teams making the MAC Tournament this season, the Cardinals need wins and some help to clinch a spot in the tournament ... The good news, all five of Ball State's remaining matches are versus teams ahead of them in the standings ... BGSU has already locked up a tournament berth at 16-0 ... Western Michigan is a win away from locking up a berth at 13-3 ... Kent State is third at 11-5, followed by Ohio (8-6), Central Michigan (9-8), Miami (8-8), Eastern Michigan (7-8), Ball State (7-9) and Northern Illinois (7-10).
• Freshman outside Cait Snyder has smashed double-digit kills in each of the last three matches ... She started with a career-high 14 kills last Thursday vs. Kent State and followed with her first career double-double the next afternoon against the Golden Flashes, scoring 13 kills and a career-high 10 digs ... In Tuesday's win over Miami, she was the only player to register double-digit kills with 11 ... Over the last three matches, Snyder has averaged 3.17 kills per set and 1.25 digs per set.
• Just as impressive, Ball State's block over the last three matches ... The Cardinals have averaged 3.08 blocks per set during the span, including a season-high 15.0 last Friday versus Kent State ... Four players are averaging at least 1.00 blocks per set during the run; sophomore middle Marie Plitt (1.42), freshman middle Lauren Gilliland (1.33), senior outside Kia Holder (1.17) and redshirt freshman opposite Cailyn Bolser (1.00).
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• Ball State enters Friday's match versus Central Michigan ranked sixth in the MAC with a .212 attack percentage, while its .197 opponent attack percentage is fourth ... Senior middle Marie Plitt is ranked fifth in the MAC with her .336 attack percentage, while senior outside Kia Holder has a team-best 3.26 kills-per-set average ... Ball State has switched between a 5-1 and 6-2 offense through the season, with redshirt sophomore setter Esther Grussing ranking 10th in the league with 7.02 assists per set ... Freshman Kate Vinson is BSU's other setter, and has seen time as a defensive specialist, averaging 3.84 assists per set ... Freshman middle Lauren Gilliland continues to lead the Cardinals at the net, ranking third in the MAC with her 1.17 blocks-per-set average ... In the backcourt, sophomore defensive specialist Maggie Huber is seventh in the conference with her 4.69 digs-per-set average ... As a team, Ball State is fourth in the league in blocking (2.28) and seventh in digging (16.45).
SCOUTING CENTRAL MICHIGAN:
• The Chippewas enter Friday's match ranked seventh in the MAC in both attack percentage (.209) and opponent attack percentage (.208) ... CMU has won two of its last three matches, with the setback coming Tuesday at home versus Eastern Michigan ... Junior outside Savannah Thompson leads the squad and is seventh in the MAC with a 3.64 kills-per-set average, while sophomore opposite Anna Erickson is second at 2.96 ... Senior middle Lisbeth Rosario-Martinez is hitting a team-high .341 and owns a team-best 49 total blocks ... Senior setter Grace Butler and freshman setter Kamryn Olson have combined to run the offense in a 6-2 rotation, averaging 5.33 and 4.96 assists per set, respectively ... Thompson also has a team-high 224 digs for a 3.25 digs-per-set average, while senior defensive specialist Hannah Warners has a team-best 4.26 digs-per-set average but has not played in CMU's last three matches ... As a team, CMU ranks eighth in the MAC with a 16.13 digs-per-set average.
MAC WEST HONORS:
• So far this season, the Ball State women's volleyball program has earned MAC weekly honors a total of four times ... The latest was sophomore libero Maggie Huber who picked up MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week accolades after averaging 7.00 digs per set at Toledo during the third week of play ... The awards started with freshman setter Kate Vinson earning MAC West Division Setter of the Week following opening weekend ... After the second week of the season, senior outside hitter Kia Holder was named MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week, while Ball State's 6-2 setter tandem of redshirt sophomore Esther Grussing and Vinson claimed MAC West Division Setter of the Week.
THE SERIES VS. CENTRAL MICHIGAN:
• The Cardinals hold a 48-34 lead in the all-time series versus CMU after earning a 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 18-25, 25-19) win in the 2019 regular season finale, played Nov. 16 at Worthen Arena, to clinch a share of the MAC West Division Championship ... Ball State holds a 25-13 advantage in matches played in Muncie, including a 21-5 edge in matches played in Worthen Arena.
IN THE MAC:
• Ball State enters the Central Michigan series one win shy of 400 all-time in MAC play ... The Cardinals' 399-208 (.657) all-time record in league play is second only to Western Michigan's 402-205 (.662) mark ... CMU is sixth based on wins (302) and seventh based on winning percentage (.497).
STILL HOLDING STRONG:
• Senior outside Kia Holder has continued right where she left off in 2019, turning in several dominating offensive performances so far this season ... She has collected double-digit kills in 11 of BSU's 16 matches, including a season-high 19 last Friday versus Kent State (March 11) ... In fact, going back to the last 10 matches last year, Holder has smashed double-digit kills in 19 of her last 26 outings ... Prior to the run, Holder only had four double-digit kill performances in her first 50 career matches.
HOLD ON, THERE'S MORE:
• Over the last 26 matches, senior outside Kia Holder is averaging 3.17 kills per set and is hitting .218, which has raised her career average to .170 ... She entered the year hitting just .152 over her first three years ... In addition, she has made tremendous strides at the net, including a career-high six total blocks twice this season ... She is tied for the team lead with seven solo blocks this season and has 45 total blocks this year after logging just 41 over her first three seasons.
BIG IMPACT AT THE NET:
• Freshman middle Lauren Gilliland (pictured to the right) enters the week ranked third in the MAC and 75th nationally with her 1.17 blocks-per-set average ... In fact, her 68 total blocks (7 solo and 61 assists) are the most among MAC players and rank 26th nationally ... In her collegiate debut, Gilliland collected nine total blocks versus Akron (Jan. 22) and tied the mark in last Friday's contest versus Kent State (March 12) ... She has registered at least two blocks in 15 of BSU's 16 matches, including six-or-more blocks on four occasions.
SPEAKING OF BLOCKS:
• The Cardinals tallied a season-high 15 total blocks last Friday versus Kent State which ties as the second-best match total in the league this season ... In addition to freshman middle Lauren Gilliland, senior outside Kia Holder and redshirt freshman opposite Cailyn Bolser turned in career blocking nights with six and five total blocks, respectively.
NEARLY NO STOPPING HER:
• Sophomore middle Marie Plitt continues to pace the squad with a .336 (118-24-280) attack percentage this season, which ranks fifth in the MAC ... She hit a season-best .600 (6-0-10) at Ohio (March 5), and has hit at least .300 in 10 of BSU's 16 matches this year ... Plitt finished her freshman year with 106 kills and a .295 attack percentage to earn MAC All-Freshman Team honors ... BSU's single season attack percentage record is currently .391 set by Julie Zylka in 2000.
RISI AS LIBERO:
• Looking to continue to make an impact while battling injury this season, sophomore Natalie Risi transitioned into the libero position over the last two matches ... She played libero in the final set of last Friday's match versus Kent State and started at libero in Tuesday's win over Miami ... It is not a bad spot for Risi, as she leads Ball State's passers with at least 200 receptions with a .956 (239-for-250) reception percentage ... She has a perfect passer rating in nine matches, and above a .950 mark in 11 contests ... She also ranks second on the team in digs (142) and digs-per-set average (2.73) ... Risi has five matches with double-figure digs this year, including tying her career high with 22 at Toledo (Feb. 5).
DISHING THE ROCK:
• With 36 more assists in Tuesday's win over Miami, redshirt sophomore Esther Grussing climbed into 15th in program history with 897 career assists ... She moved past Stacy Jordan's (1982-85) career total of 867 ... Grussing needs 103 more assists to become just the 15th player in program history to reach 1,000 career assists, a total she is on pace to reach by the end of the season.
MAC PRESEASON POLL:
• In the annual MAC Preseason Poll released Thursday, Jan. 21, the defending MAC West Division champion Cardinals were selected to finish second in the division behind 2019 division co-champion Central Michigan ... Ball State also picked up a pair of votes to defend its 2019 MAC Tournament Championship.
2020-21 West Division Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Michigan - 67 points (7 first-place votes)
2. Ball State — 64 points (5)
3. Western Michigan — 45 points
4. Eastern Michigan — 31 points
5. Toledo — 23 points
6. Northern Illinois — 22 points
2020-21 East Division Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Miami — 62 points (4)
2. Bowling Green — 60 points (5)
3. Ohio — 55 points (3)
4. Akron — 28 points
5. Kent State — 24 points
6. Buffalo — 23 points
Tournament Champions: Bowling Green (5), Ball State (2), Central Michigan (2), Kent State (1), Miami (1), Ohio (1)
PRESEASON ALL-MAC:
• After stellar freshman campaigns which saw them help Ball State women's volleyball claim the program's first Mid-American Conference Tournament Championship since 2002, Marie Plitt and sophomore outside hitter Natalie Risi were both named to the 2020-21 Preseason All-MAC West Division Team as voted on by the league's 12 head coaches.
