Ball State University
Arkansas State
Home Sweet Home: WVB Hosts Ball State Tournament
September 08, 2022 | Women's Volleyball
| Ball State (5-1; 0-0 MAC) hosts Ball State Tournament | |
| Match 7 vs. Arkansas State (5-1) | Friday, Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. Live Stats |  Watch on ESPN+ |
| Green Bay (3-3) vs. Alabama (4-2) | Friday, Sept. 9 at Noon Live Stats |  Watch on Ball State All-Access |
| Arkansas State (5-1) vs. Green Bay (3-3) | Friday, Sept. 9 at 4 p.m. Live Stats |  Watch on Ball State All-Access |
| Match 8 at Alabama (4-2) | Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. Live Stats |  Watch on ESPN+ |
| Alabama (4-2) vs. Arkansas State (5-1) | Saturday, Sept. 10 at Noon Live Stats |  Watch on Ball State All-Access |
| Match 9 vs. Green Bay (3-3) | Saturday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. Live Stats |  Watch on Ball State All-Access |
| Match 10 vs. Dayton (3-3) | Tuesday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. Live Stats |  Watch on ESPN+ |
| Tickets Info | Ball State Women's Volleyball Ticket Info |
| Notes | Ball State  |  Arkansas State  |  Alabama |  Green Bay |
| Social Media | Twitter  |  Instagram |
HOME SWEET HOME: It is the first homestand of the season for the Ball State women's volleyball team which will play the next four matches inside Worthen Arena ... It starts Friday morning, when the Cardinals open play in the Ball State Tournament versus Arkansas State (10 a.m.) ... BSU will also host Alabama at 7 p.m. Friday and Green Bay at 6 p.m. Saturday in the tournament.
CLOSING THE HOMESTAND: Following the Ball State Tournament, the Cardinals welcome perennial A-10 powerhouse Dayton to Worthen Arena ... The Flyers have advanced to the last four NCAA Tournaments, including two straight trips to the round of 32 ... That match will be played Tuesday at 6 p.m.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live stats will be available of all four home matches, while ESPN+ will be on hand to cover BSU's two matches Friday and the Dayton contest ... A one-camera live stream will be available for the Green Bay match ... Live updates from the matches will also be provided on the team's Twitter feed: @BallStateWVB.Â
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: Ball State is 9-11 all-time versus its next four foes ... The Cardinals will be facing Arkansas State for the first time in women's volleyball ... BSU is 1-3 all-time versus Alabama, 1-0 all-time against Green Bay, and 7-8 all-time versus Dayton.
BALL STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL QUICK HITS:
• Ball State boasts a 976-625-2 (.609) all-time record in women's volleyball over 50 seasons of play ... The Cardinals have captured 11 MAC West Division Championships, nine MAC Regular Season Championships, and eight MAC Tournament Championships ... Ball State made its 10th appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, earning a first-round victory over Michigan for the third NCAA Tournament win in program history ... BSU has also earned one bid into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
• After producing a 13-0 record at home during the 2021 season, the Cardinals own a 294-93 (.760) all-time record in Worthen Arena … BSU is even more dominate in Worthen Arena versus MAC foes, with a 216-57 (.791) mark.
• While Ball State did not receive votes in this week's AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll, the Cardinals did receive votes for the third straight poll ... Ball State received three votes in the 2021 final poll, 18 in the 2022 preseason poll and seven in the Aug. 29, 2022, poll ... Prior to the 2021 AVCA Final Poll, the Cardinals had not received votes in an AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll since earning eight votes on Oct. 31, 2011.
• Speaking of polls, the Ball State women's volleyball program was the unanimous pick to win the Mid-American Conference West Division in the league's annual preseason poll ... The Cardinals earned all 12 first-place votes to win the division and picked up four of the 12 votes to repeat as tournament champion.
2022 MAC West Division Predictions
1. Ball State (12) - 72 points
2. Western Michigan - 55 points
3. Toledo - 49 points
4. Northern Illinois - 32 points
5. Central Michigan - 29 points
6. Eastern Michigan - 15 points
Predicted Tournament Champion: Bowling Green (7), Ball State (4), Western Michigan (1)
• In addition to the team being picked to win the MAC West Division, the Cardinals placed three members on the Preseason All-MAC West Division Team: sophomore setter Megan Wielonski, senior middle Marie Plitt, and senior opposite Natalie Mitchem.
• The Cardinals enter this weekend's Ball State tournament with a 5-1 overall record, with its lone loss coming to Mississippi State last Saturday ... The Bulldogs were also receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll last week and are just outside the top 25 this week.
• For their play at last weekend's LUV Invitational hosted by Lipscomb, Ball State's middle tandem of junior Lauren Gilliland and senior Marie Plitt were named to the All-Tournament Team ... Gilliland led the Ball State offense with a 3.70 kills-per-set average and a .440 hitting mark, while Plitt averaged 2.00 kills per set and hit .432 ... Plitt also led the defense at 1.10 blocks per set while Gilliland averaged 0.70.
• In addition to earning all-tournament honors at the LUV Invitational, junior Lauren Gilliland was named the MAC West Division Co-Offensive Player of the Week for her play at the event ... Gilliland opened the tournament with a career-high 17 kills in the win over Oklahoma, while hitting .533 (17-1-30) for the match ... She closed the event with a team-high 13 kills and a .393 (13-2-28) rate of success against Mississippi State ... She also scored seven kills in the sweep of Lipscomb.
• Also rewarded for her play last weekend was senior libero Maggie Huber who was named the MAC West Division Defensive Player of the Week ... Huber led all MAC players with a 5.50 digs-per-set average last week, including 20 in BSU's four-set win over Oklahoma ... She added 16 in the sweep of Lipscomb and 19 versus Mississippi State, while earning a .944 reception percentage for the tournament.
• While Ball State did lose its first match of the season last week, the Cardinals are still one of the nation's top teams based on winning percentage ... As of matches played through Sept. 6, Ball State ranks 33rd nationally with its .833 winning percentage ... Last season, the Cardinals tied for fourth nationally with 30 overall wins, while its program record .882 winning percentage ranked eighth.
• Ball State's offense continues to pace the MAC, and ranks 39th nationally, with a .277 team attack percentage ... The Cardinals have hit .250-or-better in five of its six matches this season, including two marks above .300 ... BSU hit a season-best .344 in the sweep of Lipscomb (Sept. 2), while adding a .320 mark versus William & Mary (Aug. 27) ... The Cardinals finished the 2021 season with a program record .265 team attack percentage, which ranked 23rd among the 321 NCAA Division I women's volleyball programs.
• Megan Wielonski is picking up right where she left off last season, dishing out 245 total assists so far this season ... The total currently stands as the 13th-most in the nation ... She also ranks 25th nationally with a 10.65 assists-per-set average ... Last season, Wielonski finished the year ranked second nationally with 1,394 total assists ... Overall, she has helped the Cardinals hit .300-or-better in 11 of her 40 matches as the program's starting setter ... Included in that list is a .476 team hitting percentage in the Aug. 27, 2021, sweep of St. Thomas which is the third-best single match team performance in program history.
• Megan Wielonski became just the 16th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career assists last season, while her 1,639 career assists currently ranking 12th on BSU's all-time list … In addition, she became 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 nation's top setters, Megan Wielonski enters the weekend ranked 36th nationally with 13 service aces ... Last season, she ranked eighth among all NCAA Division I players with 58 aces, including a career-high seven vs. Ohio (Sept. 30) ... Her 58 aces last season tied as the sixth-most in a single season in program history and were a single season record for a BSU setter, topping the 51 served up by Amber Seaman in 2018.
• Junior middle Lauren Gilliland enters the Ball State Tournament with a team-leading .408 attack percentage ... The mark currently ranks third in the MAC and 46th nationally ... Gilliland also tops the Ball State offense with a 2.83 kills-per-set average ... Last season, Gilliland finished the year ranked first in the MAC and 49th nationally with a .366 hitting mark.
• Senior middle Marie Plitt is not far behind, ranking sixth in the MAC and 84th nationally with a .382 attack percentage ... The effort includes a season-high 16 kills and a .500 (16-2-28) hitting mark versus William & Mary (Aug. 27) ... Plitt is also tied with senior outside Natalie Risi for second on the squad with a 2.48 kills-per-set average ... Last season, Plitt ranked second in the MAC and 55th nationally with a .360 attack percentage.
• On defensive, the Cardinals enter the Ball State Tournament pacing the MAC with a 16.57 digs-per-set average ... Senior libero Maggie Huber leads the way and is tied for third in the MAC with a 4.74 mark ... Senior outside Natalie Risi is second on the squad at 2.91, while sophomore setter Megan Wielonski is third at 2.87.
