Story courtesy of Ball State's Athletic Communication's Department
LEXINGTON - - For the fourth straight season a member of the Ball State women's volleyball team was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) with outside attacker
Carson Tyler being named the Midwest Region Freshman of the Year.
"Carson had an incredible freshman year," head coach
Kelli Miller Phillips said. "She was a huge contributor for us in all ways: attacking, passing, blocking, serving and defense. You name it, she was doing it. She worked really hard to improve all season and the results showed on the court. I love her competitive demeanor and I am excited to see her continue to develop!"
Tyler, who also earned a spot on the Midwest All-Region Honorable Mention squad, led the Ball State offense and ranked seventh in the MAC with a 3.34 kills-per-set average. Her 374 total kills were the most among league freshman and ranked seventh among all league attackers.
"What an honor to be voted Midwest Region Freshman of the Year," Phillips added. "There are a ton of great players and teams in our region, and I think it speaks to the respect Carson earned and I'm so proud of her! I'm confident this honor will continue to motivate and push her to even greater heights in the future."
The first player in program history to earn AVCA regional freshman of the year honors, Tyler helped lead the Cardinals to a 22-10 overall record, a 13-5 MAC mark and to the title match of the MAC Volleyball Championship. A First Team All-MAC selection and a member of the MAC All-Tournament Team, Tyler smashed 20-or-more kills in six matches during her debut season, while tallying double figures in 22.
Her best effort was a career-high 25 kills to help lead Ball State to a 3-2 victory over Wright State (Sept. 20). Tyler is one of just 12 players in program history to register 20-or-more kills in at least six career matches and is the ninth different player to have six-or-more such matches in a single season.
A six-rotation player for the Cardinals, Tyler also finished the season ranked third on the team with 220 digs for a 1.96 digs-per-set average. She recorded her first career kill/dig double-double with 12 kills and 10 digs at Central Michigan (Oct. 5), and finished the season with her sixth in the MAC championship match setback versus Western Michigan (Nov. 24).
Tyler, who was credited with a career-best 15 digs in the regular season finale versus the Broncos (Nov. 16), led Ball State's primary passers with a .963 reception percentage, successfully passing 650 of the team-high 675 serves she has faced. She also registered 43 total blocks and served up 24 aces over the course of the season.
