Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Ohio
Women's Volleyball Travels To Ohio
October 15, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
| Ball State (12-5; 3-3 MAC) at Ohio (11-6; 4-2 MAC) | |
| Match 18 - at Ohio | Friday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats |
| Match 19- at Ohio | Saturday, Oct. 17 at 4 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats |
| Notes | Ball State | Ohio |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram |
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The Ball State women's volleyball team travels to Athens, Ohio, this weekend for a pair of matches at Ohio ... The teams battle at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Both matches at Ohio this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN+ ... For those unable to tune in or join in person, live stats will be available for the matches courtesy of Ohio Athletics ... Score updates will also be provided on Ball State volleyball's X feed and Instagram story: @BallStateWVB.
BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters the weekend with a 1067-673-2 (.613) 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 Mid-American Conference West Division Championships, 11 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 ... The Cardinals have also earned two bids into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
BALL STATE IN THE MAC: With a 3-3 Mid-American Conference record so far this season, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 479-229 (.677) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, six matches behind the Cardinals at 473-235 (.668) ... Ohio is currently fifth at 408-298 (.578).
WHEN IN WORTHEN: With a 3-1 record to start home #MACtion this season, the Cardinals boast a 336-106 (.760) all-time record inside Worthen Arena, including an 85-42 (.669) mark against non-conference foes and a 251-64 (.797) ledger versus Mid-American Conference rivals ... 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.
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Ball State women's volleyball team enters Friday's match at Ohio with a 12-5 (3-3 MAC) record after last Saturday's home sweep of Central Michigan ... The Cardinals are ranked 53rd nationally in the latest run of the NCAA Division I RPI Rankings, after starting the season at 32nd.
• A four-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week and two-time MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week so far this season, Ball State junior libero Sophie Ledbetterenters the weekend ranked first in the MAC and 12th nationally with a 4.90 digs-per-set average ... Her 299 total digs, including a career-high 29 digs vs. Miami (Oct. 6), are also first among all MAC players and 35th nationally.
• Thanks in part to Sophie Ledbetter's strong play in the backcourt, the Ball State defense enters the week ranked second in the MAC and seventh nationally with a 17.25 digs-per-set average ... The Cardinals have out-dug opponents in 12 of its 17 matches so far this season and have five starters and six overall players averaging at least 2.00 digs-per-set.
• Ball State has also been able to translate those digs into kills, leading the nation in assists per set (13.64) and ranking third nationally in kills per set (14.52) ... Led by 6-2 setters senior Lindsey Green and sophomore Reese Axness, the Cardinals also rank 39th nationally with a .259 hitting percentage.
• Looking at the offensive numbers, the Cardinals are doing it with a very balanced attack as six players have collected at least 98 kills through the first 17 matches of the season ... Five of those attackers have reached double-digit kills in at least three matches, led by junior outside Ava Smith with double figures in 13 ... Junior opposite Tiffany Snook is not far behind with double-digit kills in 10 matches.
• Senior middle Camryn Wise enters the weekend ranked first in the MAC and 25th nationally with a .405 hitting percentage, including nine matches above the mark so far this season ... In fact, Wise hit a program record .889 (16-0-18), for a player with at least 15 attempts in a match, in the Sept. 26 win over Western Michigan.
• Ball State served up a season-high 13 total aces in last Saturday's win over Central Michigan, including a career-high six from freshman outside Mallory Pike ... Pike's six aces were the most for Cardinals player since the semifinals of the 2025 MAC Volleyball Championship when Carson Tyler blasted seven versus Toledo (Nov. 22, 2025) ... As a team, the 13 aces were the most since Sept. 24, 2022, when Ball State also served up 13 aces versus the Chippewas ... The last time Ball State surpassed the total as a team was with 14 aces on Sept. 19, 2009, at Towson.
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• Sophie Ledbetter enters Friday's match at Ohio ranked 14th in program history with 1,201 career digs ... The total is 92 digs shy of moving her into the top 10 in program history, with Natalie Risi (2019-22) currently holding the spot with 1,293 career digs ... In addition, Ledbetter has collected double-digit digs 16 times this season and in 67 matches over her career, with her career total tying for seventh on Ball State's all-time list.
• Junior outside Ava Smith has shined in her first season with the Cardinals, leading the squad and ranking fourth in the MAC with a 3.58 kills-per-set average ... She has smashed double-digit kills in 13 matches so far this season, paced by a career-best 19 kills vs. Western Kentucky (Sept. 3), against Northwestern (Sept. 17) and in the MAC opener versus Western Michigan (Sept. 25) ... Including her two seasons at FGCU, Smith has 430 career kills with double digits in 19 career matches.
• Ava Smith has also been a solid addition in the backcourt, ranking fourth on the squad with 129 digs for a 2.15 digs-per-set average ... The effort includes her first three career kill/dig double-doubles ... A six-rotation player for the first time in her collegiate career, Smith has 177 career digs including her 48 for the Eagles.
• For her effort on both offense and defense, Ava Smith has been named to both the Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Classic and Fairfield Inn & Suites Dunn Campbell Invitational All-Tournament teams ... She is the lone Ball State player to earn all-tournament honors at both events.
• Audrey Geer was named the MVP of the Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Classic after posting kill/dig double-doubles in all three matches, raising her season total to four ... She tied for team-high honors with a 4.10 kills-per-set average, while ranking second on the squad with a 3.70 digs-per-set average ... Entering Friday's match at Ohio, Geer is second on the squad with a 2.62 kills-per-set average and ranks third on the team with a 2.81 digs-per-set average.
• Including her two seasons at Marshall, Audrey Geer has smashed 537 career kills ... She has notched double-digit kills in 29 collegiate matches and owns a career high of 17 kills versus Appalachian State on Nov. 11, 2024 ... In addition, she has collected double-digit digs in 26 matches as a collegiate player and has amassed 533 career digs ... Together, she has tallied 17 career kill/dig double-doubles, including four this season.
• Lindsey Green and Reese Axness continue to split duties in the 6-2 offense, combining to lead the Ball State offense to a .259 hitting percentage, which is first in the MAC and 39th nationally ... Their efforts have also helped the Cardinals rank first in the nation in assists-per-set average (13.64) and third in kills-per-set average (14.52) ... Green leads the duo and ranks sixth in the MAC with a 6.48 assists-per-set average, while Axness comes in at 5.35 assists per set ... In addition, the pair have combined for nine assist/dig double-doubles, with six from Green and three from Axness.
• Along with their solid setting numbers, Lindsey Green and Reese Axness have played a large role in the Cardinals ranking seventh nationally in digs-per-set average at 17.25 ... Despite playing just three rotations each, Green is second on the team with a 2.52 digs per set average, while Axness is fifth at 2.00 ... Green has posted double-digit digs in six matches this season, while Axness has achieved the mark in three outings.
• Junior opposite Tiffany Snook has been a solid attacking option for the Ball State offense this season, ranking third on the squad with a 2.57 kills-per-set average ... In fact, Snook is second on the squad in both total kills (154) and matches with double-digit kills (10). The effort includes her career-high tying 17 kills in the sweep at Campbell (Sept. 11) ... The 17 kills are the fourth best in a three-set match by a MAC player this season, two-behind Ava Smith's career-high tying 19 kills in the sweep of Western Michigan (Sept. 25).
• In addition, Tiffany Snook hit a career-best .696 (17-1-23) in the win over Campbell which is the fourth-best attack percentage in a match by a MAC player this season.
• The highest hitting percentage by a MAC player in a match this season came courtesy of a record-setting performance from senior middle Camryn Wise ... Wise turned in the best hitting percentage in a match in program history (for a player with at least 15 attempts) versus Western Michigan (Sept. 26) by blasting a career-high 16 kills on 18 swings with no errors for a .889 rate of success ... Wise enters Friday's match at Ohio with 512 career kills and a .372 career hitting percentage which would be first in program history ... Marie Plitt (2019-23) currently holds the program's attack percentage record at .362, while Julie Zylka (1998-2001) is second at .360.
• Camryn Wise also enters the weekend series at Ohio as Ball State's active career blocking leader with 259 total blocks ... Over 92 career matches, Wise has accumulated 38 solo blocks and 221 block assists, for a 0.83 career blocks-per-set average ... So far this season, she leads the team with seven solo blocks, while chipping in 23 block assists.
• Senior middle Gwen Crull enters the weekend just two kills shy of becoming the sixth Ball State player to reach 100 kills this season ... Ava Smith leads the way with 215, followed by Tiffany Snook (154), Audrey Geer (123), fifth-year opposite Madison Buckley (109) and Camryn Wise (102).
• Gwen Crull is currently fifth in the MAC and 108th nationally with a .347 attack percentage ... She hit a season-best .727 (8-0-11) at Toledo (Oct. 2) and has accumulated at least eight kills in six matches, paced by a season-high 10 versus Western Michigan (Sept. 26) ... Crull also currently leads the team with 43 total blocks and a 0.75 blocks-per-set average ... She has been credited with at least one block in 13 matches, including a season-high 6.0 in the four-set win over Xavier (Aug. 29).
• So far this season, the Cardinals have been able to rely on a very deep bench on its march to a 12-5 start ... All 17 players on the roster have seen action this season, including 16 student-athletes in sweeps of Stetson (Sept. 11) and Campbell (Sept. 11) ... Of the group, all 17 players have at least one dig and 15 have at least one kill.
