Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Akron
October 22, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
| Ball State (14-6; 5-4 MAC) hosts Akron (8-12; 3-5 MAC) | |
|---|---|
| Match 21 - hosts Akron | Friday, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats PROMOTIONS: Alumni Night |
| Notes | Ball State | Akron |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram |
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The Ball State women's volleyball team will look to rebound from Tuesday's loss at Miami when it hosts Akron Friday evening at 6 p.m. in Worthen Arena for its annual Alumni Night.
THIS WEEK'S PROMOTIONS:
Friday, Oct. 23 - Alumni Night: The Cardinals will celebrate all alumni in attendance, including on-court recognition between sets two and three, in addition to a post-match alumni reception ... Friday's match will also feature the team's third limited edition poster and a spirit pack raffle.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Friday's match versus Akron will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Voice of the Cardinals Mick Tidrow calling the action ... Avarie Powell, who played collegiately at MAC rival Miami from 2017-2020, will join the broadcast as analyst while Matt Clark from the Ball State Sports Network will serve as the sideline reporter ... For those unable to tune in or join in person, live stats will be available for the match courtesy of Ball State 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 1069-674-2 (.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 5-4 Mid-American Conference record so far this season, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 481-230 (.677) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, five-and-a-half matches behind the Cardinals at 475-235 (.669) ... Akron is currently eighth at 220-365 (.376).
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 versus Akron with a 14-6 (5-4 MAC) record after being swept at Miami Tuesday ... The Cardinals entered the week ranked 50th in the latest run of the NCAA Division I RPI Rankings ... Ball State was 32nd in the first release (Oct. 4) and 53rd in the second (Oct. 11).
• 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 Ledbetter enters the week ranked first in the MAC and 11th nationally with a 4.91 digs-per-set average ... Her 344 total digs, including a career-high 29 digs vs. Miami (Oct. 6), are also first among all MAC players and 25th nationally.
• Thanks in part to Sophie Ledbetter's strong play in the backcourt, the Ball State defense enters the weekend ranked second in the MAC and sixth nationally with a 16.99 digs-per-set average ... The Cardinals have out-dug opponents in 15 of its 20 matches so far this season and have five starters averaging at least 2.00 digs-per-set.
• Ball State has also been able to translate those digs into kills, ranking fourth the nation in assists per set (13.31) and seventh nationally in kills per set (14.21) ... Led by senior setter Lindsey Green and sophomore setter Reese Axness, the Cardinals also rank 39th nationally with a .259 hitting percentage ... All three marks also lead the Mid-American Conference.
• Looking at the offensive numbers, the Cardinals are doing it with a very balanced attack as six players have collected at least 109 kills through the first 20 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 15 ... Junior opposite Tiffany Snook is not far behind with double-digit kills in 11 matches.
• Senior middle Camryn Wise enters the weekend ranked first in the MAC and 13th nationally with a .423 hitting percentage, including 11 matches above .400 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 the Oct. 10 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, in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-18) sweep at Towson.
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• Sophie Ledbetter enters Friday's match versus Akron ranked 13th in program history with 1,246 career digs ... The total is 47 digs shy of moving her into the top 10 in program history, with Natalie Risi (2019-22) currently holding the 10th spot with 1,293 career digs ... In addition, Ledbetter has collected double-digit digs 19 times this season and in 70 matches over her career, with her career total ranking seventh on Ball State's all-time list.
• With her 20 digs in the Oct. 17 sweep at Ohio, Sophie Ledbetter has collected 20-or-more digs in 20 career matches ... The total, which includes seven matches this season, ranks as the eighth-most in program history.
• Junior outside Ava Smith has shined in her first season with the Cardinals, leading the squad and ranking fifth in the MAC with a 3.53 kills-per-set average ... She has smashed double-digit kills in 15 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 455 career kills with double digits in 21 career matches.
• Ava Smith has also been a solid addition in the backcourt, ranking fifth on the squad with 134 digs for a 1.92 digs-per-set average ... The effort includes her first three career kill/dig double-doubles ... Including her 48 digs in two seasons at FGCU, Smith has 182 career digs.
• 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 versus Akron, Geer is third on the squad with a 2.46 kills-per-set average and ranks second on the team with a 2.86 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 27 matches as a collegiate player and has amassed 544 career digs ... Together, she has tallied 17 career kill/dig double-doubles, including four this season.
• Lindsey Green and Reese Axness continue to split setting duties, 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 fourth in the nation in assists-per-set average (13.31) and seventh in kills-per-set average (14.21) ... Green leads the duo and ranks sixth in the MAC with a 6.84 assists-per-set average, while Axness comes in at 5.34 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 sixth nationally in digs-per-set average at 16.99 ... Green is third on the team with a 2.48 digs per set average, while Axness is fourth 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 second on the squad with a 2.58 kills-per-set average ... In fact, Snook is second on the squad in both total kills (178) and matches with double-digit kills (11) ... The effort includes her career-high tying 17 kills in the sweep at Campbell (Sept. 11) ... The 17 kills tie as 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 (Sept. 11) which is the fourth-best attack percentage in a three-set 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 versus Akron with 530 career kills and a .377 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 enters the match versus Akron as Ball State's active career blocking leader with 265 total blocks ... Over 95 career matches, Wise has accumulated 39 solo blocks and 226 block assists, for a 0.83 career blocks-per-set average ... So far this season, she leads the team with eight solo blocks, while chipping in 28 block assists.
• Senior middle Gwen Crull became the sixth different Ball State player to reach 100 kills this season with her four blasts in last Friday's sweep at Ohio ... She has added nine more over the last two matches to raise her season total to 111 ... Ava Smith leads the way with 240, followed by Tiffany Snook (178), Audrey Geer (123), Camryn Wise (120), Crull and fifth-year opposite Madison Buckley (109).
• Gwen Crull is currently fourth in the MAC and 64th nationally with a .365 attack percentage ... She hit a season-best .727 (8-0-11) at Toledo (Oct. 2) and has accumulated at least eight kills in seven matches, paced by a season-high 10 versus Western Michigan (Sept. 26) ... Crull also currently leads the team with 45 total blocks and a 0.69 blocks-per-set average ... She has been credited with at least one block in 15 matches, including a season-high 6.0 in the four-set win over Xavier (Aug. 29).
• Over the last four matches, freshman opposite Merritt Sliwa has been an offensive force for the Cardinals, tying for second on the squad with 28 kills for a 2.55 kills-per-set average ... She registered a career-high nine kills in the Oct. 17 sweep at Ohio, while hitting a career-best .417 (7-2-12) in the Oct. 10 sweep of Central Michigan ... She is also tied for the team lead with six total blocks during the span.
• The Cardinals have been able to rely on a very deep bench on its march to a 14-6 record ... All 17 players have seen action, including 16 in sweeps of Stetson (Sept. 11) and Campbell (Sept. 11) ... Of the group, all 17 players have at least three digs and 14 have at least one kill.
