Volleyball Hosts Miami Tuesday for Silent Set Night

Ball State (14-9; 10-1 MAC) hosts Miami (11-12, 5-6 MAC) / at Kent State (8-14; 3-8 MAC)
Match 24 - vs. Miami	Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. ET ESPN+ \| Live Stats PROMOTIONS: Silent Set Night
Match 25 - at Kent State	Friday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. ET ESPN+ \| Live Stats
Match 26 - at Kent State	Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. ET ESPN+ \| Live Stats
Notes	Ball State \| Miami \| Kent State
Social Media	X (Twitter) \| Instagram

THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The Ball State women's volleyball team closes a three-match homestand Tuesday, when it hosts Miami for a 6 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena ... From there, the Cardinals travel to Kent State for matches Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.).

TUESDAY'S PROMOTIONS: Tuesday's match will serve as Silent Set Night for the Cardinals ... This unique night, run in conjunction with the Chasing Greatness Foundation, features NO CHEERING from fans until the HOME TEAM scores 9 points ... Ball State's Audiology Clinic will have a booth to promote hearing health and wellness.

FOLLOW THE ACTION: Fans unable to attend this week's matches in person have several ways to follow the #MACtion ... All three contests will be broadcast live on ESPN+ ... Live stats will be available courtesy of host institutions ... Updates from the matches will also be provided on the team's X feed and Instagram story: @BallStateWVB.

MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATION: Ball State women's volleyball team received 102 points in the league's annual coaches' poll, trailing only defending regular season champion Bowling Green (119) ... With coaches unable to vote for their own teams, BGSU earned 10 of the 12 votes to win the MAC regular season title, with the Cardinals claiming the other two ... The Falcons were also selected as the favorite to win the MAC Volleyball Championship with 10 votes, while Buffalo and Central Michigan each garnered one vote.

PRESEASON HONORS: In addition to the team rankings, the MAC announced its annual Preseason All-MAC Team ... Representing Ball State are sophomore outside Carson Tyler and sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter ... Tyler was named the 2024 MAC and AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year after ranking first on the team and seventh in the league with a 3.34 kills-per-set average last season ... Ledbetter earned a nod on the 2024 MAC All-Freshman team after leading the squad and ranking 10th in the MAC with a 3.68 digs-per-set average.

BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters Tuesday's match versus Miami with a 1048-667-2 (.611) all-time record in women's volleyball ... Ball State became the 44th program in NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball history to reach 1,000 wins with a sweep of Central Michigan on Sept. 22, 2023 ... All-time, the Cardinals have captured 12 MAC West Division Championships, 10 MAC Regular Season Championships and eight MAC Volleyball Championship titles ... Ball State has made 11 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including three of the last six seasons ... BSU has also earned two bids into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

WHEN IN WORTHEN: The Cardinals boast a 329-104 (.760) all-time record inside Worthen Arena, including an 84-41 (.672) mark against non-conference foes and a 245-63 (.795) ledger versus league foes ... Overall, no MAC opponent owns a winning record inside Worthen Arena, as the Cardinals have at least a .630 winning percentage against all league schools on its current home floor ... Tuesday's opponent Miami is 8-17 (.320) all-time in the building.

BALL STATE IN THE MAC: With a 10-1 record in MAC play this season, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 469-226 (.675) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, four matches behind the Cardinals at 465-230 (.668), while Tuesday's opponent Miami is fourth at 403-292 (.580).

ABOUT THE 10-0 START TO #MACtion: While it's season-long 10-match winning streak came to an end Saturday vs. Ohio, Ball State's 10-0 start to MAC play tied as the third-best league start in program history ... The Cardinals also won its first 10 conference matches of the 1997 campaign ... Ball State has also gone undefeated in league play twice, boasting an 18-0 mark in 1993, followed by a 17-0 record in 1994.

CURRENTLY IN THE MAC: With its 10-1 league mark, Ball State owns a two-match lead in the MAC standings, with Toledo and Western Michigan tied for second at 8-3 ... Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Ohio are currently tied for fourth at 6-5 ... The top six teams in the final league standings advance to the 2025 MAC Volleyball Championship held Nov. 21-23 at Bowling Green's Stroh Center ... Miami is currently the first team out with its 5-6 MAC ledger.

SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Cardinals enter the week with a 14-9 overall record, including a 10-1 record in Mid-American Conference play ... Ball State extended its season-long winning streak to 10 matches with a reverse sweep over Ohio last Friday, before the Bobcats handed BSU its first league loss of the season with a 3-0 win Saturday.
• Despite suffering its first league loss of the season last weekend, Ball State remained the top-ranked MAC squad in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, coming in at 56 ... The Cardinals were 77th in the initial RPI rankings on Oct. 5 and climbed to as high as 45th in the Oct. 19 release.
• Ball State enters the week as one of the nation's top terminating teams, ranking third nationally with 1,238 total kills ... Only Towson (1,287) and Valparaiso (1,267) have more kills than the Cardinals ... 389 of Ball State's kills, which is fourth nationally, have come from the arm of sophomore outside Carson Tyler who also ranks first in the MAC and 39th nationally with a 4.18 kills-per-set average.
• In addition, the Cardinals lead the MAC and rank 48th nationally with a .253 team attack percentage ... Junior middle Camryn Wise is first in the league and 45th nationally with a .382 rate of success, while junior setter Lindsey Green ranks 102nd nationally with 678 total assists and owns a 7.37 assists-per-set average.

SCOUTING MIAMI:
• The RedHawks enter the week with an 11-12 overall record, including a 5-6 mark in MAC play ... Miami split a pair of matches at Toledo last weekend, earning a 3-2 win Friday before suffering a 3-1 setback Saturday.
• Miami ranks sixth in the MAC in the NCAA RPI Rankings at 174, climbing 13 spots from its ranking of 187 last week ... Miami was ranked 151st in the initial RPI rankings on Oct. 5, before falling to 192 on Oct. 12.
• Miami enters the week as one of the nation's top defensive teams, ranking 81st nationally with a 2.36 blocks-per-set average and 57th with a 15.38 digs-per-set average ... The RedHawks' 214.5 total blocks are currently 15th in the nation, while its 1,400 digs are 16th.
• The RedHawks offense is paced by Chelsea Williams who owns a 2.79 kills-per-set average, including double-digit kills in each of Miami's last four matches ... In fact, she started the run with a season-high 20 kills at Kent State.
• The Cardinals currently hold a 51-39 lead in the all-time series versus Miami after earning a 3-0 (25-22, 25-15-25-16) sweep over the RedHawks in Oxford, Ohio, in the first meeting this season on Oct. 7 ... Ball State has won the last six meetings in the all-time series and has won three straight in Worthen Arena ... Miami, which is 8-17 all-time in Worthen Arena, has not won on Ball State's home court since a 3-0 (25-15, 25-16, 26-24) victory Oct. 25, 2019.

BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• Sophomore outside Carson Tyler has been one of the nation's top attackers so far this season, ranking fourth nationally with 389 kills for a MAC-best 4.18 kills-per-set average ... She has reached double-digit kills in 21 matches so far this season, including a career-high 29 kills versus Toledo (Oct. 10), 28 kills versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18), 26 kills versus James Madison (Sept. 14) and 21 kills at UConn (Sept. 5) ... Last season, Tyler averaged 3.34 kills per set to become the first player in program history to earn AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year accolades.

• With her 11 kills in Friday's win over Ohio, Carson Tyler climbed into a four-way tie for 18th in program history with double-digit kills in 43 career matches ... She has 21 such matches this season, while collecting 22 her freshman campaign ... In addition, Tyler is one of just nine players in program history to register 20-or-more kills in at least 10 career matches, with her 24 kills at Bowling Green (Oct. 16) being her 12th.

• A six-rotation player, Carson Tyler is currently second on the squad with 231 digs ... She has recorded kill/dig double-doubles in 12 matches this season, with her latest coming at Bowling Green (Oct. 16) ... Tyler registered a career-high 19 digs in the win at Marquette (Sept. 12) and collected 18 versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31) and James Madison (Sept. 14) ... Tyler also leads Ball State's primary passers with a .964 reception percentage, successfully passing 516 of the 535 serves she has faced ... Tyler also led the Cardinals' primary passers with a .963 reception percentage last season by successfully passing 650 of the team-high 675 serves she faced.

• Graduate outside Noelle VanOort has made quite an impact playing for the Cardinals, smashing 273 total kills, collecting 181 digs and hitting .215 (273-100-803) ... A member of the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team, VanOort has tallied double-digit kills in 17 of BSU's 23 matches, including a season-high 20 kills twice ... Throw in 97 matches with double-figure kills during her four-year career at Indiana Tech and VanOort has been credited with at least 10 kills in 114 collegiate matches ... She has also raised her collegiate total to 11 matches with 20+ kills, including a 20/20 effort Nov. 5, 2022, with 23 kills and 25 digs versus Siena Heights.

• Noelle VanOort has been just as solid on defense through the first nine weeks, earning double-digit digs seven times, including a season-high 23 vs. Cincinnati (Sept. 18) ... The effort has raised her career total to 97 matches with double-digit digs, including her 90 at Indiana Tech ... It also helped her raise her collegiate kill/dig double-double total to 74, including six with Ball State and 68 with the Warriors.

• The countdown continues for Noelle VanOort who enters Tuesday's match versus Miami three kills shy of 2,000 for her collegiate career ... Prior to arriving at Ball State, VanOort finished her four-year playing career at Indiana Tech (2021-24) as a two-time NAIA Third Team All-American and ranked second in program history with 1,724 kills ... Add 273 kills so far at Ball State and her career total stands at 1,997 ... She has also collected 1,829 digs and served up 294 aces over her collegiate career.

• With 20 kills each in the Aug. 31 match versus Cal Poly, Noelle VanOort and Carson Tyler became the first Ball State duo to record 20-or-more kills in the same match since the 2007 season ... Brittany May and Julie Breivogel were the last players to do so with 21 and 20 kills, respectively, in an Oct. 5, 2027 match versus Western Michigan.

• Sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter paces the Ball State defense with 357 digs and a 3.84 digs-per-set average this season ... Her total ranked third among all MAC defenders, while her average is fifth ... Ledbetter has recorded double-digit digs in 19 of BSU's 21 matches, upping her career total to 42 ... The effort includes a career-high tying 27 digs versus Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 20) and 26 digs in the season-opener versus St. Thomas (Aug. 29).

• Sophie Ledbetter earned her first collegiate double-double versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31), handing out 10 assists to go along with her 14 digs.

• Junior Lindsey Green and freshman Reese Axness have combined to lead the Ball State offense to a .253 attack percentage this season which is first in the MAC and 48th nationally ... The mark includes a .262 rate of success over the team's 11 MAC matches ... Green, who dished out a career-high 51 assists twice this season, currently ranks ninth in the MAC with a 7.37 assists-per-set average, with her 678 total assists ranking 102nd nationally ... She also leads the squad with 29 service aces ... Axness, meanwhile, enters the week with a 4.32 assists-per-set average and has served up 12 aces.

• Junior middle Gwen Crull has turned up the offensive heat over the last six weeks, reaching double-digit kills for the first seven times in her collegiate career ... Her best match came at Miami (Oct. 7), when she smashed a career-high 13 kills and hit .522 (13-1-23) ... She has also collected 12 kills on two occasions; vs. Cincinnati (Sept. 18) and at Akron (Sept. 26) ... Since the start of MAC play, Crull is second on the squad with a .393 (87-15-183) attack percentage, which ranks third in the MAC during the span ... She also leads the squad with a 0.84 blocks-per-set average this season, including a team-high 12 solo blocks.

• Junior middle Camryn Wise enters the week leading the Mid-American Conference with a .382 attack percentage ... She has hit .300-or-better in 17 of the team's 23 matches, paced by a .579 (12-1-19) rate of success at Marquette (Sept. 12) ... Looking at just league matches, Wise's mark jumps up to .422 with just 11 errors on 166 swings, to go along with 81 kills ... Wise has hit at least .385 in nine MAC outings, starting with a .545 (6-0-11) effort at Buffalo (Sept. 25).

• Sophomore Tiffany Snook is starting to find her grove on the right side, ranking fourth on the squad in league play with 84 kills and a 2.05 kills-per-set average ... The effort includes a career-high 17 kills and a .433 (17-4-30) attack percentage versus Toledo (Oct. 10) ... She also secured 11 kills at Akron (Sept. 26) and has registered at least six kills in eight of Ball State's 11 league matches.

• Roster Update: Senior opposite Madison Buckley and redshirt junior outside attacker Aniya Kennedy will both miss the 2025 season as medical redshirts … Buckley was a 2024 First Team All-MAC selection after ranking second on the team in total blocks (90.0) and third in total kills (276) last season … Kennedy, the 2023 MAC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-MAC selection, ranked second on the squad with 279 kills last season and chipped in 43 total blocks.

Volleyball Hosts Miami Tuesday for Silent Set Night

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Players Mentioned

Reese Axness

Madison Buckley

Gwen Crull

Lindsey Green

Aniya Kennedy

Sophie Ledbetter

Tiffany Snook

Carson Tyler

Noelle VanOort

Camryn Wise