Ball State University Athletics
Women’s Volleyball Sweeps MAC Weekly Honors Again
September 28, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
CLEVELAND - - For the second time this season, the Ball State women's volleyball team has swept the Mid-American Conference weekly awards with senior outside hitter Ava Smith, junior libero Sophie Ledbetter, senior setter Lindsey Green and sophomore setter Reese Axness all earning honors.
Smith was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after leading all MAC players with a 5.67 kills-per-set average last week, while ranking third in the league with a .437 hitting percentage.
She started the week with a career-high tying 19 kills in Friday's sweep over Western Michigan and followed with 15 more in Saturday's. The effort helped the Cardinals lead the league with a 17.67 kills-per-set average and a .344 hitting mark. In addition, she served up a team-high four aces, while chipping in 16 digs (2.67 per set) over the weekend series.
Ledbetter earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in her career after turning in a dominating backcourt effort last week, leading all MAC players with a 5.67 digs-per-set average.
She secured a match-best 17 digs in both sweeps of Western Michigan, helping the Cardinals rank first in the league with a 21.17 digs-per-set average for the week. In addition, Ledbetter earned a .963 reception percentage with just one reception error in 27 attempts, while dishing out 11 total assists.
For the second time this season and the sixth time in the past two years, Green and Axness were named the MAC Setter Pair of the Week. The duo guided the Cardinals to a MAC-leading .344 hitting percentage in a pair of sweeps over Western Michigan last week.
Green led the pair with an 8.00 assists-per-set average, while Axness averaged 5.83, helping Ball State post a league-leading 16.33 assists per set in the first weekend of MAC play. The Cardinals also led the league with a 17.67 kills-per-set average, setup by the dynamic setting duo.
Along with their offensive leadership, the pair combined for a 6.17 digs-per-set average with a 3.50 mark from Green and a 2.67 effort from Axness. The effort helped the Cardinals lead the league with a 21.17 digs-per-set average.
The Ball State women's volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pivotal MAC showdown against Toledo, which was picked as the league's preseason favorite to win both the MAC regular season and tournament titles.
Both teams are off to 2-0 league starts, with Toledo sweeping Akron and earning a 3-1 win at Buffalo last week.
Smith was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career after leading all MAC players with a 5.67 kills-per-set average last week, while ranking third in the league with a .437 hitting percentage.
She started the week with a career-high tying 19 kills in Friday's sweep over Western Michigan and followed with 15 more in Saturday's. The effort helped the Cardinals lead the league with a 17.67 kills-per-set average and a .344 hitting mark. In addition, she served up a team-high four aces, while chipping in 16 digs (2.67 per set) over the weekend series.
Ledbetter earned MAC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the fourth time this season and the sixth time in her career after turning in a dominating backcourt effort last week, leading all MAC players with a 5.67 digs-per-set average.
She secured a match-best 17 digs in both sweeps of Western Michigan, helping the Cardinals rank first in the league with a 21.17 digs-per-set average for the week. In addition, Ledbetter earned a .963 reception percentage with just one reception error in 27 attempts, while dishing out 11 total assists.
For the second time this season and the sixth time in the past two years, Green and Axness were named the MAC Setter Pair of the Week. The duo guided the Cardinals to a MAC-leading .344 hitting percentage in a pair of sweeps over Western Michigan last week.
Green led the pair with an 8.00 assists-per-set average, while Axness averaged 5.83, helping Ball State post a league-leading 16.33 assists per set in the first weekend of MAC play. The Cardinals also led the league with a 17.67 kills-per-set average, setup by the dynamic setting duo.
Along with their offensive leadership, the pair combined for a 6.17 digs-per-set average with a 3.50 mark from Green and a 2.67 effort from Axness. The effort helped the Cardinals lead the league with a 21.17 digs-per-set average.
The Ball State women's volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pivotal MAC showdown against Toledo, which was picked as the league's preseason favorite to win both the MAC regular season and tournament titles.
Both teams are off to 2-0 league starts, with Toledo sweeping Akron and earning a 3-1 win at Buffalo last week.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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