Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Toledo
WVB Heads to Toledo in Battle of MAC Preseason Favorites
September 30, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
| Ball State (11-2; 2-0 MAC) at Toledo (10-2; 2-0 MAC) | |
| Match 14 - at Toledo | Friday, Oct. 2 at 6 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats |
| Match 15 - at Toledo | Saturday, Oct. 3 at 4 p.m. ET ESPN+ | Live Stats |
| Notes | Ball State | Toledo |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram |
THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE VOLLEYBALL: The Ball State women's volleyball team faces a key road test this weekend, when it travels to Toledo in a battle of the Mid-American Conference's preseason favorites ... The Cardinals and Rockets will battle at 6 p.m. Friday and 4 p.m. Saturday in Savage Arena ... Toledo was the preseason pick to win both the regular season and tournament crowns in the league's preseason poll, while Ball State was second in both votes.
FOLLOW THE ACTION: Both Ball State matches at Toledo this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN+ ... In addition, live stats will be available for both matches courtesy of Toledo Athletics ... Updates from the matches will also be provided on the team's X feed and Instagram story: @BallStateWVB.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS: The Ball State women's volleyball team picked up nine votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll ... It is the fourth straight week the Cardinals have earned votes and the team's second-highest total of the season ... Ball State received six votes in the Sept. 7 poll, its first votes since the second week of the 2022 season ... The vote total jumped to 24 in the Sept. 14 poll after Ball State went 3-0 at the Campbell Invitational, before falling to three on Sept. 21 after the team suffered its first losses of the season at Cincinnati (Sept. 15) and vs. Northwestern (Sept. 17).
MAC PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: The Ball State women's volleyball team was picked to finish second in the league in the MAC's annual preseason coaches' poll ... The defending regular season champion Cardinals earned 91 points and three first place votes, trailing only defending tournament champion Toledo (92 points / seven first place votes) ... The Rockets also had a slight edge over Ball State in the MAC Women's Volleyball Championship projections, earning six votes to the Cardinals' five.
PRESEASON ALL-MAC: Ball State placed three student-athletes on the Preseason All-MAC Team ... Representing the squad were senior middles Gwen Crull and Camryn Wise, along with junior defensive specialist/libero Sophie Ledbetter ... All three were First Team All-MAC selections last season after helping guide the Cardinals to the league's regular season title with a 17-1 MAC ledger.
BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters the week with a 1066-670-2 (.614) 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: After starting the 2026 Mid-American Conference season with back-to-back sweeps over Western Michigan last weekend, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 478-226 (.679) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, seven-and-a-half matches behind the Cardinals at 471-234 (.668) ... Toledo is 10th on the current list at 238-465 (.339).
WHEN IN WORTHEN: With two wins over Western Michigan last weekend, the Cardinals boast a 335-105 (.761) all-time record inside Worthen Arena, including an 85-42 (.669) mark against non-conference foes and a 250-63 (.799) 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 ... Following this weekend's matches at Toledo, the Cardinals host Miami on Tuesday (Oct. 6), with the RedHawks owning an 8-18 (.308) mark in the building.
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Ball State women's volleyball team enters Friday's match at Toledo with an 11-2 (2-0 MAC) record and riding a three-match winning streak ... Ball State received nine votes in the latest AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll released Monday (Sept. 28), six more votes than the previous week ... The Cardinals have appeared in the last four polls after earning some key non-conference wins early in the season.
• A four-time MAC Defensive Player of the Week so far this season, Ball State junior libero Sophie Ledbetter enters the week ranked first in the MAC and 21st nationally with a 4.67 digs-per-set average ... Her 215 total digs, including a season-high 26 digs at Notre Dame (Aug. 28) and versus Furman (Sept. 12), are third among all MAC players and 64th nationally.
• Thanks in part to Sophie Ledbetter's strong play in the backcourt, the Ball State defense enters the week ranked first in the MAC and second nationally with a 17.54 digs-per-set average ... The Cardinals have out-dug opponents in 11 of its 13 matches so far this season and have five starters and seven overall players averaging over 2.00 digs-per-set.
• Ball State has also been able to translate those digs into kills, leading the nation in both assists per set (14.28) and kills per set (15.15) ... Led by 6-2 setters senior Lindsey Green and sophomore Reese Axness, the Cardinals also rank 18th nationally with a .280 hitting percentage.
• Looking at the offensive numbers, the Cardinals are doing it with a very balanced attack as six players have collected at least 71 kills through the first 13 matches of the season ... Four of those attackers have reached double-digit kills in at least three matches, led by junior outside Ava Smith with double figures in 10 of Ball State's 13 outings so far this season ... Junior opposite Tiffany Snook is not far behind with double-digit kills in nine matches.
• Senior middle Camryn Wise enters the weekend ranked first in the MAC and seventh nationally with a .469 hitting percentage, including seven 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 last Saturday's win over Western Michigan.
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• Sophie Ledbetter enters Friday's match at Toledo ranked 16th in program history with 1,117 career digs ... The total is 117 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 12 times this season and in 63 matches over her career, with her career total ranking 10th on Ball State's all-time list.
• Junior outside Ava Smith has shined in her first season with the Cardinals, leading the squad and tying for first in the MAC with a 3.87 kills-per-set average ... She has smashed double-digit kills in 10 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 389 career kills with double digits in 16 career matches.
• Ava Smith has also been a solid addition in the backcourt, ranking fourth on the squad with 106 digs for a 2.36 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 154 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 Toledo, Geer ranks third on the squad with a 2.74 kills-per-set average and second on the team with a 3.13 digs-per-set average.
• Including her two seasons at Marshall, Audrey Geer has smashed 521 career kills ... She has notched double-digit kills in 28 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 523 career digs ... Together, she has tallied 17 career kill/dig double-doubles, including tying for team-high honors with four so far 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 .280 hitting percentage, which leads the MAC and is 18th nationally ... Their efforts have also helped the Cardinals rank first in the nation in both assists-per-set average (14.28) and kills-per-set average (15.15) ... Green leads the duo and ranks sixth in the MAC with a 6.73 assists-per-set average, while Axness comes in at 5.43 assists per set ... In addition, the pair have combined for seven assist/dig double-doubles, with four 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 second nationally in digs-per-set average at 17.54 ... Despite playing just three rotations each, Green averages 2.60 digs per set, while Axness is at 2.09 ... Green has posted double-digit digs in four matches this season, while Axness has achieved the mark in three outings.
• Junior opposite Tiffany Snook has also been a solid attacking option for the Ball State offense this season, ranking second on the squad with a 2.80 kills-per-set average ... She has blasted double-digit kills in nine matches, raising her career total to 22, led by a career-high tying 17 kills at Campbell (Sept. 11).
• In her run to the best hitting percentage in a match in program history (for a player with at least 15 attempts) last Saturday versus Western Michigan, senior middle Camryn Wise blasted a career-high 16 kills on 18 swings with no errors for a .889 rate of success ... Wise enters Friday's match at Toledo with 481 career kills and a .378 career hitting percentage which would be first in program history ... Marie Plitt (2019-23) currently holds the program record at .362, while Julie Zylka (1998-2001) is second at .360.
• So far this season, the Cardinals have been able to rely on a very deep bench on its march to an 1-2 start ... A total of 17 different players have seen action, 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 12 have at least one kill.
