Player, Setters, Coach of the Year Highlight WVB’s #MACtion Awards
November 20, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
CLEVELAND - - Seven members of the Ball State women's volleyball program were honored by the Mid-American Conference's 12 head coaches Thursday (Nov. 20) for their contributions to the team's run to the 2025 MAC regular season title.
"I'm incredibly proud of all our All-MAC award winners," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "The hard work, trust and grit that's been shown by this team has been incredible to be a part of. Each of these award winners is a culmination of the entire team and system working together to create opportunities for one another to excel."
Sophomore Carson Tyler became just the fourth player in program history, and first since 1999, to be named the MAC Player of the Year.
Junior Lindsey Green and Freshman Reese Axness were named the MAC Setters of the Year, with Axness also earning a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team. It's the third time Ball State players have claimed the league's top setting honor.
Tyler, junior middle Gwen Crull, sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter and junior middle Camryn Wise all earned First Team All-MAC honors. It ties as the Cardinals' most First Team All-MAC honors in a single season with the 2021 squad.
For the third time in her career, Phillips has been named the MAC Coach of the Year. She has guided the Cardinals to a 122-45 league record in her 10 seasons as the program's head coach, with this season's 17-1 MAC mark tying as the third best single-season effort in program history.
"Our setters need our passers, our hitters need our setters, our defenders need our blockers, and it goes on and on," Phillips added. "Additionally, while we're very honored for the regular season awards, we are still incredibly locked in for the MAC Tournament this weekend. That's what makes this group so special; it's not about one person, but truly every single person being all in and working hard to get the MAC Tournament Championship. I'm excited for the weekend ahead!"
Combined, the group helped the Cardinals post a 17-1 record in league play and earn the No. 1 seed in this week's MAC Volleyball Championship. Ball State has a first-round bye directly into Saturday's 4 p.m. semifinal match where it will face the winner of Friday's first-round match between No. 4 Toledo and No. 5 Miami.
Overall, the four All-MAC honors raise Ball State's all-time total to 120 selections, including 68 first team nods. Both totals rank second all-time in MAC history.
CARSON TYLER: MAC Player of the Year / First Team All-MAC
Four-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week ... led BSU and ranked second among MAC players with 4.22 kills per set ... recorded at least nine kills in all 18 MAC matches, including double-digits in 16 and 20-or-more in three ... her 29 kills in the win over Toledo (Oct. 10) were the most by a MAC player in a league match ... second on the team with 175 digs, including 10 kill/dig double-doubles ... served 27 aces, for a MAC-best 0.42 aces-per-set average ... led BSU's primary passers with a .9643 reception percentage on a team-high 421 attempts.
LINDSEY GREEN AND REESE AXNESS: MAC Setters of the Year
Four-Time MAC Setter Pair of the Week ... combined to help the Ball State offense lead the MAC with a .274 attack percentage in league play ... the Cardinals also averaged league-highs of 13.14 assists, 14.05 kills and 17.66 points-per-set in #MACtion ... Ball State hit .300-or-better in six league matches, including a .437 effort at Kent State (Nov. 11) and a .430 rate of success at Buffalo (Sept. 25) ... they were the top two attack percentages in league matches this season ... Green ranked 10th in the league with a 6.71 assists-per-set average, while Axness averaged 4.71 assists per set.
KELLI MILLER PHILLIPS: MAC Coach of the Year
Led the Ball State women's volleyball program to a 17-1 MAC record despite missing three projected starters for the season due to injury ... mentored an offense that led the MAC in hitting percentage at .274, nearly .050 better than the second-best team in Ohio at .226 ... The Cardinals also led the league in per-set average for points (17.66), assists (13.14) and kills (14.05), while being blocked the fewest times in MAC play.
GWEN CRULL: First Team All-MAC
Ranked second among all MAC players with a .384 attack percentage, with just 28 errors in league play ... tallied 136 kills in #MACtion ... hit .300-or-better in 13 matches, including .400-or-better marks nine times and .500-or-better efforts eight times ... her best effort was a .692 (10-1-13) rate of success in the sweep of Miami (Oct. 28) ... Collected double-digit kills in six league matches, including a season-high 13 at Miami (Oct. 7) ... second on the squad with 58 total blocks in league play, including five-or-more in six outings ... served up 10 aces and collected 30 digs.
SOPHIE LEDBETTER: First Team All-MAC
Named MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 ... led the Ball State defense and ranked third among league players with a 4.14 digs-per-set average ... credited with at least five digs in all 18 MAC matches, with double-digits in 16 and 20-or-more in three ... ranked second on the squad with a .9641 reception percentage, with just 12 errors in 335 attempts ... perfect in serve receive in nine matches, including each of the last six ... served up 15 aces and credited with 53 assists.
CAMRYN WISE: First Team All-MAC
Led all MAC players with a .425 attack percentage, with just 18 attack errors ... smashed 135 kills in #MACtion ... hit .300-or-better in 15 matches, including .400-or-better marks 11 times and .500-or-better efforts six times ... best percentage was a .667 (6-0-9) mark in BSU's sweep at BGSU (Oct. 17) ... double-digit kills three times, including a season-high 14 in the win over Ohio (Oct. 14) when she hit .478 (14-3-23) ... led the Ball State block with 63 total blocks in league play, including five-or-more in five outings ... collected 16 digs and served up two aces.
REESE AXNESS: MAC All-Freshman Team
A part of four MAC Setter Pair of the Week honors ... helped the Ball State offense lead the MAC with a .274 attack percentage in league play ... the Cardinals also averaged league-highs of 13.14 assists, 14.05 kills and 17.66 points-per-set in #MACtion ... Ball State hit .300-or-better in six league matches, including a .437 effort at Kent State (Nov. 11) and a .430 rate of success at Buffalo (Sept. 25) ... they were the top two attack percentages in league matches this season ... Axness dished out 4.71 assists-per-set and earned three assist/dig double-doubles ... she also served up 11 aces.
2025 MAC Volleyball All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Kelli Miller Phillips, Ball State
Player of the Year: Carson Tyler, Ball State
Defensive Player of the Year: Grace Freiberger, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: Bailey Blair, Ohio
Setters of the Year: Lindsey Green and Reese Axness, Ball State
All-MAC First Team
Delaney Gash, Outside Hitter, Akron
Gwen Crull, Middle Blocker, Ball State
Sophie Ledbetter, Libero, Ball State
Carson Tyler, Outside Hitter, Ball State
Camryn Wise, Middle Blocker, Ball State
Jessica Andrews, Middle Blocker, Bowling Green
Avery Hobson, Outside Hitter, Bowling Green
Bailey Blair, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Emily Waddell, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Grace Freiberger, Libero, Toledo
Olivia Heitkamp, Outside Hitter, Toledo
Kelsey Smith, Setter, Toledo
Mary Clare Brusek, Middle Blocker, Western Michigan
Amanda Glanton, Middle Blocker, Western Michigan
Leah Richmond, Setter, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team
Martina Villani, Setter, Akron
Manoela Forlin, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Emerson Matthews, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Natalia Rejment, Outside Hitter, Central Michigan
Molly Creech, Outside Hitter, Miami
Gentry Warrick, Middle Blocker, Miami
Sierra Pertzborn, Middle Blocker, Toledo
MAC All-Freshman Team
Lyndi Wolf, Middle Blocker, Akron
Reese Axness, Setter, Ball State
Emerson Matthews, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Molly Creech, Outside Hitter, Miami
Bailey Blair, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Jessica Costlow, Outside Hitter, Toledo
Leah Richmond, Setter, Western Michigan
"I'm incredibly proud of all our All-MAC award winners," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "The hard work, trust and grit that's been shown by this team has been incredible to be a part of. Each of these award winners is a culmination of the entire team and system working together to create opportunities for one another to excel."
Sophomore Carson Tyler became just the fourth player in program history, and first since 1999, to be named the MAC Player of the Year.
Junior Lindsey Green and Freshman Reese Axness were named the MAC Setters of the Year, with Axness also earning a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team. It's the third time Ball State players have claimed the league's top setting honor.
Tyler, junior middle Gwen Crull, sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter and junior middle Camryn Wise all earned First Team All-MAC honors. It ties as the Cardinals' most First Team All-MAC honors in a single season with the 2021 squad.
For the third time in her career, Phillips has been named the MAC Coach of the Year. She has guided the Cardinals to a 122-45 league record in her 10 seasons as the program's head coach, with this season's 17-1 MAC mark tying as the third best single-season effort in program history.
"Our setters need our passers, our hitters need our setters, our defenders need our blockers, and it goes on and on," Phillips added. "Additionally, while we're very honored for the regular season awards, we are still incredibly locked in for the MAC Tournament this weekend. That's what makes this group so special; it's not about one person, but truly every single person being all in and working hard to get the MAC Tournament Championship. I'm excited for the weekend ahead!"
Combined, the group helped the Cardinals post a 17-1 record in league play and earn the No. 1 seed in this week's MAC Volleyball Championship. Ball State has a first-round bye directly into Saturday's 4 p.m. semifinal match where it will face the winner of Friday's first-round match between No. 4 Toledo and No. 5 Miami.
Overall, the four All-MAC honors raise Ball State's all-time total to 120 selections, including 68 first team nods. Both totals rank second all-time in MAC history.
CARSON TYLER: MAC Player of the Year / First Team All-MAC
Four-time MAC Offensive Player of the Week ... led BSU and ranked second among MAC players with 4.22 kills per set ... recorded at least nine kills in all 18 MAC matches, including double-digits in 16 and 20-or-more in three ... her 29 kills in the win over Toledo (Oct. 10) were the most by a MAC player in a league match ... second on the team with 175 digs, including 10 kill/dig double-doubles ... served 27 aces, for a MAC-best 0.42 aces-per-set average ... led BSU's primary passers with a .9643 reception percentage on a team-high 421 attempts.
LINDSEY GREEN AND REESE AXNESS: MAC Setters of the Year
Four-Time MAC Setter Pair of the Week ... combined to help the Ball State offense lead the MAC with a .274 attack percentage in league play ... the Cardinals also averaged league-highs of 13.14 assists, 14.05 kills and 17.66 points-per-set in #MACtion ... Ball State hit .300-or-better in six league matches, including a .437 effort at Kent State (Nov. 11) and a .430 rate of success at Buffalo (Sept. 25) ... they were the top two attack percentages in league matches this season ... Green ranked 10th in the league with a 6.71 assists-per-set average, while Axness averaged 4.71 assists per set.
KELLI MILLER PHILLIPS: MAC Coach of the Year
Led the Ball State women's volleyball program to a 17-1 MAC record despite missing three projected starters for the season due to injury ... mentored an offense that led the MAC in hitting percentage at .274, nearly .050 better than the second-best team in Ohio at .226 ... The Cardinals also led the league in per-set average for points (17.66), assists (13.14) and kills (14.05), while being blocked the fewest times in MAC play.
GWEN CRULL: First Team All-MAC
Ranked second among all MAC players with a .384 attack percentage, with just 28 errors in league play ... tallied 136 kills in #MACtion ... hit .300-or-better in 13 matches, including .400-or-better marks nine times and .500-or-better efforts eight times ... her best effort was a .692 (10-1-13) rate of success in the sweep of Miami (Oct. 28) ... Collected double-digit kills in six league matches, including a season-high 13 at Miami (Oct. 7) ... second on the squad with 58 total blocks in league play, including five-or-more in six outings ... served up 10 aces and collected 30 digs.
SOPHIE LEDBETTER: First Team All-MAC
Named MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13 ... led the Ball State defense and ranked third among league players with a 4.14 digs-per-set average ... credited with at least five digs in all 18 MAC matches, with double-digits in 16 and 20-or-more in three ... ranked second on the squad with a .9641 reception percentage, with just 12 errors in 335 attempts ... perfect in serve receive in nine matches, including each of the last six ... served up 15 aces and credited with 53 assists.
CAMRYN WISE: First Team All-MAC
Led all MAC players with a .425 attack percentage, with just 18 attack errors ... smashed 135 kills in #MACtion ... hit .300-or-better in 15 matches, including .400-or-better marks 11 times and .500-or-better efforts six times ... best percentage was a .667 (6-0-9) mark in BSU's sweep at BGSU (Oct. 17) ... double-digit kills three times, including a season-high 14 in the win over Ohio (Oct. 14) when she hit .478 (14-3-23) ... led the Ball State block with 63 total blocks in league play, including five-or-more in five outings ... collected 16 digs and served up two aces.
REESE AXNESS: MAC All-Freshman Team
A part of four MAC Setter Pair of the Week honors ... helped the Ball State offense lead the MAC with a .274 attack percentage in league play ... the Cardinals also averaged league-highs of 13.14 assists, 14.05 kills and 17.66 points-per-set in #MACtion ... Ball State hit .300-or-better in six league matches, including a .437 effort at Kent State (Nov. 11) and a .430 rate of success at Buffalo (Sept. 25) ... they were the top two attack percentages in league matches this season ... Axness dished out 4.71 assists-per-set and earned three assist/dig double-doubles ... she also served up 11 aces.
2025 MAC Volleyball All-MAC Teams & Specialty Award Winners
Coach of the Year: Kelli Miller Phillips, Ball State
Player of the Year: Carson Tyler, Ball State
Defensive Player of the Year: Grace Freiberger, Toledo
Freshman of the Year: Bailey Blair, Ohio
Setters of the Year: Lindsey Green and Reese Axness, Ball State
All-MAC First Team
Delaney Gash, Outside Hitter, Akron
Gwen Crull, Middle Blocker, Ball State
Sophie Ledbetter, Libero, Ball State
Carson Tyler, Outside Hitter, Ball State
Camryn Wise, Middle Blocker, Ball State
Jessica Andrews, Middle Blocker, Bowling Green
Avery Hobson, Outside Hitter, Bowling Green
Bailey Blair, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Emily Waddell, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Grace Freiberger, Libero, Toledo
Olivia Heitkamp, Outside Hitter, Toledo
Kelsey Smith, Setter, Toledo
Mary Clare Brusek, Middle Blocker, Western Michigan
Amanda Glanton, Middle Blocker, Western Michigan
Leah Richmond, Setter, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team
Martina Villani, Setter, Akron
Manoela Forlin, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Emerson Matthews, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Natalia Rejment, Outside Hitter, Central Michigan
Molly Creech, Outside Hitter, Miami
Gentry Warrick, Middle Blocker, Miami
Sierra Pertzborn, Middle Blocker, Toledo
MAC All-Freshman Team
Lyndi Wolf, Middle Blocker, Akron
Reese Axness, Setter, Ball State
Emerson Matthews, Outside Hitter, Buffalo
Molly Creech, Outside Hitter, Miami
Bailey Blair, Middle Blocker, Ohio
Jessica Costlow, Outside Hitter, Toledo
Leah Richmond, Setter, Western Michigan
Players Mentioned
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