Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Ball State Cardinals (14-9, 10-1 MAC) 
The Ball State women's volleyball team closes a three-match homestand Tuesday, when it hosts Miami for a 6 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena ... From there, the Cardinals travel to Kent State for matches Friday (6 p.m.) and Saturday (4 p.m.).
    
BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters Tuesday's match versus Miami with a 1048-667-2 (.611) 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 MAC West Division Championships, 10 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 ... BSU has also earned two bids into the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
 
WHEN IN WORTHEN: The Cardinals boast a 329-104 (.760) all-time record inside Worthen Arena, including an 84-41 (.672) mark against non-conference foes and a 245-63 (.795) ledger versus league foes ... Overall, 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 ... Tuesday's opponent Miami is 8-17 (.320) all-time in the building.
 
BALL STATE IN THE MAC: With a 10-1 record in MAC play this season, Ball State maintains its status as the winningest program in league play with a 469-226 (.675) all-time MAC mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, four matches behind the Cardinals at 465-230 (.668), while Tuesday's opponent Miami is fourth at 403-292 (.580).
 
ABOUT THE 10-0 START TO #MACtion: While it's season-long 10-match winning streak came to an end Saturday vs. Ohio, Ball State's 10-0 start to MAC play tied as the third-best league start in program history ... The Cardinals also won its first 10 conference matches of the 1997 campaign ... Ball State has also gone undefeated in league play twice, boasting an 18-0 mark in 1993, followed by a 17-0 record in 1994.
 
CURRENTLY IN THE MAC: With its 10-1 league mark, Ball State owns a two-match lead in the MAC standings, with Toledo and Western Michigan tied for second at 8-3 ... Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Ohio are currently tied for fourth at 6-5 ... The top six teams in the final league standings advance to the 2025 MAC Volleyball Championship held Nov. 21-23 at Bowling Green's Stroh Center ... Miami is currently the first team out with its 5-6 MAC ledger.
 
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Cardinals enter the week with a 14-9 overall record, including a 10-1 record in Mid-American Conference play ... Ball State extended its season-long winning streak to 10 matches with a reverse sweep over Ohio last Friday, before the Bobcats handed BSU its first league loss of the season with a 3-0 win Saturday. 
• Despite suffering its first league loss of the season last weekend, Ball State remained the top-ranked MAC squad in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings, coming in at 56 ... The Cardinals were 77th in the initial RPI rankings on Oct. 5 and climbed to as high as 45th in the Oct. 19 release.
• Ball State enters the week as one of the nation's top terminating teams, ranking third nationally with 1,238 total kills ... Only Towson (1,287) and Valparaiso (1,267) have more kills than the Cardinals ... 389 of Ball State's kills, which is fourth nationally, have come from the arm of sophomore outside Carson Tyler who also ranks first in the MAC and 39th nationally with a 4.18 kills-per-set average.
• In addition, the Cardinals lead the MAC and rank 48th nationally with a .253 team attack percentage ... Junior middle Camryn Wise is first in the league and 45th nationally with a .382 rate of success, while junior setter Lindsey Green ranks 102nd nationally with 678 total assists and owns a 7.37 assists-per-set average.
 

Toledo Rockets (17-6, 8-3 MAC) 
Tuesday, Oct. 28 / at Bowling Green / Bowling Green, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats
Friday, Oct. 31 / vs. Western Michigan / Toledo, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats
Saturday, Nov. 1 / vs. Western Michigan / Toledo, Ohio / 4:00 p.m. / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats

Women's volleyball is set for three matches this week, including the second installment of the Battle of I-75 at Bowling Green and two home matches against the reigning MAC Champion Western Michigan. The Rockets currently sit in second in the conference standings with an 8-3 mark in league play. Grace Freiberger is the MAC's leader in digs, averaging 4.31 digs/set while Olivia Heitkamp paces the team on offense, totaling 3.05 kills/set.


Western Michigan Broncos (11-13, 8-3 MAC)
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Winners of four in a row, the Western Michigan volleyball team wraps up its homestand on Tuesday night as it hosts Northern Illinois. 

WMU (11-13, 8-3 MAC) vs NIU (10-10, 3-8)
Tuesday, Oct. 28 | 6 pm | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

HOME SWEET HOME
After picking up a pair of five-set wins against Bowling Green over the weekend, Western Michigan wraps up its homestand on Tuesday evening against Northern Illinois. The Broncos are 24-2 against MAC opposition at University Arena over the last three seasons. 

LAST TIME OUT
WMU is coming off of a pair of five-set victories over Bowling Green this past weekend. On Friday, the Broncos dropped the first two sets, but came all the way back to win in five to collect their first reverse sweep since Sept. 10, 2022, against Grand Canyon. Western Michigan fell down 1-0 and 2-1 on Saturday, but again roared back to win in five. The victories brought the Brown and Gold to 8-3 in league action and a tie for second with Toledo. 


Bowling Green Falcons (12-11, 6-5 MAC)
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will have a trio of matches this week in the MAC, beginning at home before hitting the road. The Falcons will first host the second leg of this season's Battle of I-75, welcoming the rival Toledo Rockets to the Stroh Center Tuesday night (Oct. 28). BGSU and UT are set for a 6 p.m. start at the Stroh Center with the night including an Orange Wave and Trick or Treat. From there, the Falcons will hit the road for a pair of matches against Miami (OH). The first will be Friday (Oct. 31) with a 6:30 p.m. first serve followed by a 7 p.m. start on Saturday (Nov. 1). All three matches for the Falcons this week will be available to stream on ESPN+. 

BGSU Schedule This Week
Tuesday, Oct. 28 | BGSU vs. Toledo | 6 p.m. | Orange Wave | Trick or Treat | ESPN+
Friday, Oct. 31 | BGSU at Miami (OH) | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Saturday, Nov. 1 | BGSU at Miami (OH) | 4 p.m. | ESPN+

First Serve 

• Bowling Green begins the week against Toledo, concluding the regular season series against the Rockets. Toledo won the first match with a 3-1 final. There will be five points to claim in the Battle of I-75 series presented by Fremont Federal Credit Union.
• The Falcons will transition back to the road for the weekend, facing Miami (OH) in Oxford. BGSU has won the last 12 meetings against the RedHawks. 
• Bowling Green enters the week leading the conference in blocks and blocks per set for the season with 217.5 total, averaging 2.42 per set. The total for the Falcons also ranks 11th in the nation.
• Helen Wilford has contributed to mark, breaking into the nation's top 30 on her own as well. Wilford has totaled 102 blocks this season, ranking 27th in the nation and fourth in the MAC. 
• The Falcons rank second in the conference for opponent hitting percentage both overall and during MAC play. For the season, BGSU is holding opponents to a .182 mark with that number moving to .165 against MAC opponents. 
• As a team, Bowling Green has registered 1,042 assists this season, ranking 37th in the nation. In total, more than half the MAC ranks inside the nation's top 50 for the stat with seven making the list. 

Central Michigan Chippewas (9-14, 6-5 MAC)
REJMENT ROLLIN'
On Saturday against Akron, Natalia Rejmnet posted her fifth-straight double-double her 6th of the 2025 season and 26th of her career. At Kent State, Rejment totaled 27 kills over the four sets (3.86/set) and 22 digs (3.14/set). The double-double on Thursday was followed up by a 10K, 9D performance on Friday. Rejment has hit .216 across MAC play and in the five-straight double-double stretch, hit .284 with 4.65 kills/set and 3.65 digs/set. Akron faced no chance against the Polish power house. Rejment hit .373 across the two matches against the Zips, highlighted by a .500 with a 19 kills & 10 dig performance. Friday night was a 14 kills/12 dig showing for Nat, giving her a weekend total of 33 K/22 D. Dating back to October 10th at Buffalo, Rejment has killed 79 balls and hit .284 with her five-straight double-doubles. In her 17 kill and 15 dig game to open the stretch in New York, Rejment hit just .170 but has hit +.250 in the last four matches. Nat enters the games at Kent State with 3.46 kills/set, 3.12 digs/set and 4.07 points/set since MAC play has started. The last Chippewa to record five or more straight double-doubles was Savannah Thompson in the 2021 season. Thompson had 6 straight to start her senior campaign and ended the 2020 season with nine straight, setting the program record for an outside hitter at 15-straight. 

MILESTONE WATCH
Entering the match at Eastern Michigan, Abby Olin and Natalia Rejment are closing in on some high career milestones. Olin is three blocks away from reaching the 250 career blocks mark,the 68 solo blocks that Olin currently has recorded ranks her third in program history since rally scoring in 2001. She has tallied 247 total blocks in her four year playing career thus far. Those blocks rank her 8th in program history with seven regular season matches to go in 2025. In 2024 Olin tallied 115 blocks and set the single-season program record with 36 solo blocks. Rejment, who has been on a tear for Central Michigan enters the match with the Eagles with 782 career kills. If Rejment can reach the 1,000 kill mark she will find herself in the top-10 in program history for career kills. The same goes for digs for Rejment, as she enters the mid-week with 929.

SINCE MAC PLAY MAC STATS
Throughout conference play, Central Michigan ranks third in the MAC with 57 service aces, and 1.68/set. Brooklyn Conner leads the MAC with a .474 hitting percentage with 42 kills in her 17 sets played through conference play. At the net, Conner has totaled 1.18 blocks/set, good for 9th in the conference. Rejment ranks ninth in the conference with 3.38 kills/set, and 6th with 3.90 points/set. Keelyn Muell enters the matches with the Golden Flashes with 10.35 assists/set which ranks her 3rd in the MAC. Central Michigan hit .361 as a team on Friday against the Zips which is the second highest hitting percentage in a match this season throughout MAC play across all teams in the conference. Also in Friday nights match, Central Michigan set a new program record for kills in a three-set match. CMU recorded 56 kills, surpassing the previous record of 54 set on November 4th, 2010. In that same match, the 50 assists also in the best in three sets in MAC play by any team.

DOUBLE LIBERO RUN
Central Michigan has been running both Hannah Langton and Rainey Weidman at the libero position since matches in Buffalo. In those four matches the two have combined for 58 digs (4.46/set). Langton held down the libero position all season in 2024 for the Chippewas as a freshman, and both her and Weidman had been playing as a DS for the beginning of the season until Alina Anderson sustained an injury and the two have found a groove.  
 

Ohio Bobcats (8-15, 6-5 MAC)
Oct. 28 / vs Kent State / Athens, Ohio / Convocation Center / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats / Digital Guide / Tickets 
Oct. 31 / at Central Michigan / Mount Pleasant, Mich. / McGuirk Arena / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats 
Nov. 1 / at Central Michigan / Mount Pleasant, Mich. / McGuirk Arena / 4 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats 

The Ohio volleyball team (8-15, 6-5 MAC) is back in action for three matchups this week starting on Tuesday, Oct. 28 when the Bobcats host Kent State (8-14, 3-8 MAC). First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside the Convocation Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio then heads to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for two matchups against Central Michigan (9-14, 6-5 MAC). The Bobcats are back in action against CMU on Friday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. ET, before wrapping up the weekend series on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m. ET. inside McGuirk Arena. Both games can be seen on ESPN+. 

Kent State comes to Athens with an 8-14 overall record and a 3-8 mark in MAC play. The Flashes are coming off back-to-back losses at home to Central Michigan last weekend. The Bobcats defeated Kent State in three sets earlier this season on the road. Meanwhile, Central Michigan is currently 9-14 overall and 6-5 in MAC play. CMU is coming off two wins over Kent State on the road last weekend and will take on Eastern Michigan on Tuesday before hosting Ohio. 

Ohio is coming off a 1-1 week that included taking Ball State to five sets on Friday, before sweeping the then-conference undefeated Cardinals on Saturday in Muncie. 

On Saturday, Ohio finished with a .406 attack percentage, 55 kills, three aces, six blocks, 53 assists and 49 digs. Ball State finished with a .141 attack percentage, 28 kills, three aces, five blocks, 28 assists, and 26 digs. Junior Gentry Brown was Ohio's top performer of the game against Ball State. Brown recorded a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. She recorded a team-high 12.0 points in addition to three assists, two blocks, and one ace. Freshman Bailey Blair led Ohio's offense against Ball State. Blair recorded a .444 attack percentage with 11 kills and three errors on 18 total attacks. Blair also finished with 11.5 points, four digs, and one block.


Miami RedHawks (11-12, 5-6 MAC)
The Red and White continue conference play by traveling to Ball State for a midweek match, as the RedHawks take on the Cardinals this Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. 

Heading into this week's matches, Ball State has numerous players who rank among the top of the MAC statistically. Carson Tyler ranks first in the MAC in kills per set (4.17) and points per set (4.69). Camryn Wise holds the top spot in hit percentage (.382), and Gwen Crull is also ranked third in hit percentage (.330). Sophie Ledbetter ranks fifth in digs per set (3.84), and Lindsey Green is ninth in assists per set (7.37). 

UP NEXT: The RedHawks return home for a couple of conference matches against Bowling Green this weekend. Miami will host the Falcons on Friday, Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.

NUMBERS WATCH: Gentry Warrick is currently tied for fourth all-time in Miami history with 1.00 career blocks per set. She holds a total of 83 career solo blocks (fifth all-time in Miami history). Warrick also ranks fourth in the nation in total blocks (122) and 19th in blocks per set (1.42). Warrick currently leads the MAC in both total blocks and blocks per set. The Red and White stand at 15th in the country in team total blocks (214.5) as well. 

RECENT ACTION: The RedHawks are coming off a week where they went 1-1 in a pair of matches at Toledo. Offensively, Molly Creech recorded 3.22 kills per set while maintaining a .241 hitting percentage in a pair of matches versus the Rockets. In total, the freshman outside hitter had 29 kills, four assists and three service aces. She also added 27 digs and four blocks on the weekend. Creech led all players with a career-high 19 kills (.292 hit percentage) in a five-set win over the Rockets Friday night. Defensively, senior middle blocker Gentry Warrick recorded 14 blocks (1.56/set) to lead the RedHawks. Aside from her blocking efforts, Warrick also contributed seven kills (0.78/set), five digs (0.56/set) and a service ace (0.11/set). Senior Lindsay Kahren surpassed 1,000 career digs against Kent State on Oct. 16. Senior Hayden Hicks also reached a career milestone of 2,000 assists against the Ball State Cardinals on Oct. 7.


Akron Zips (11-11, 4-7 MAC)
AKRON, Ohio - The Akron volleyball team travels to Buffalo, N.Y., to battle the Bulls on Tuesday, October 28, for a midweek conference match at 6 p.m.

How To Follow The Action
Tuesday: Stats | Video

Zips At A Glance:
The Zips head to Buffalo with an 11-11 overall record and a 4-7 record in the MAC.

Akron recently swept Northern Illinois at James A. Rhodes Arena over the weekend, defeating the Huskies 3-1 and 3-2.

Delaney Gash led the offense with 36 kills against the Huskies, while Gabby Brissett added 29 and Lyndi Wolf notched 21. Brissett also added a .491 hitting percentage and seven blocks, while Wolf recorded a .371 hitting percentage, four aces and seven blocks. Martina Villani recorded 97 assists (10.78 per set) while adding three aces and five blocks against the Huskies. Vanessa Del Real recorded 47 digs (5.22 per set) and two aces, while Chidera Ozoh led the Zips in blocks with 13.

So far this season, Gash leads the Zips in kills (324) and points (351). Villani is the leader in assists (864) while Del Real leads the way in digs (332) and aces (37). Ozoh is the leader for total blocks (97).

After Buffalo, the Zips return to James A. Rhodes Arena to host Eastern Michigan on October 31 and November 1.

Defensive Player of the Week (10/27/25):
Leading the Zips' defensive efforts that led to a 2-0 week against Northern Illinois, Vanessa Del Real was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday, October 27. Del Real notched 47 digs (5.22 per set) as the Blue and Gold claimed a pair of wins over NIU. She started the week with 26 digs, one kill and four assists on Friday, while adding 21 digs, five assists and two aces on Saturday. Del Real currently ranks 1st in the MAC for total aces (37), 2nd in aces per set (.44), 3rd in digs per set (3.05) and 5th in total digs (322).

Leaders In The MAC:
Akron ranks in the top-five in the MAC in total points (3rd - 1505), points per set (2nd - 16.91), hitting % (4th - .212), fewest opp assists (5th - 1020), total assists (3rd - 1095), assists per set (2nd - 12.30), total kills (2nd - 1178), kills per set (2nd - 13.24), aces per set (5th - 1.61), fewest opp digs (5th - 1216) and fewest opp. digs per set (3rd - 13.66).

Individually, the Zips see Lyndi Wolf rank 6th in hitting percentage (.304). Delaney Gash ranks 2nd in total kills (324), 3rd in kills per set (3.81), 3rd in total points (351) and 4th in points per set (4.13). Martina Villani ranks 2nd in total assists (864) and assists per set (9.71). Vanessa Del Real ranks 1st in total aces (37), 2nd in aces per set (.44), 6th in total digs (332) and 3rd in digs per set (3.95). Chidera Ozoh ranks 5th in total blocks (97) and blocks per set (1.09).

Among The Best In The NCAA:
The Zips rank 70th in the NCAA in assists per set (12.30), 85th in kills per set (13.24), 13th in total assists (1,095), 12th in total kills (1,178) and 54th in total aces (143).

Individually, Vanessa Del Real ranks 43rd in aces per set (.44), 27th in total aces (37) and 90th in total digs (332). Martina Villani ranks 56th in assists per set (9.71) and 7th in total assists (864). Delaney Gash ranks 97th in kills per set (3.81), 49th in total points (351) and 34th in total kills (324). Chidera Ozoh ranks 41st in total blocks (97).

What's Next?: 
Akron returns to James A. Rhodes Arena to host Eastern Michigan on October 31 (6 p.m.) and November 1 (4 p.m.).
 

Buffalo Bulls (7-13, 4-7 MAC)
BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (7-13, 4-7 MAC) has three matches on the docket this week as they'll host the Akron Zips (11-11, 4-7 MAC) on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. The match will be the Bulls' Spooktacular and Kids Night. UB will then head west as they'll play the Northern Illinois Huskies (10-10, 3-8 MAC) on Friday and Saturday. This will be the Bulls' final time playing the Huskies as a conference opponent. All matches this week will be streamed on ESPN+.

The Bulls took the first meeting of the season against the Zips on Oct. 7 in a 3-2 decision. In the win, Manoela Forlin led the offense for the Bulls as she recorded 23 kills with a .340 hitting percentage. Reese Collins was error free on the attack with seven kills on 15 attempts. Collins also added five total blocks, setting a career high. Emerson Matthews tallied 11 kills with a career-high three aces. Maddie Mitchell recorded a 42-assist, 14-dig double-double. Keira Kleidon had a team-high 17 digs to go with her three aces, tying a career high.

The Bulls have won the last six matches against the Zips. Under Head Coach Scott Smith, Buffalo is 12-2 against Akron.

Last year the Bulls dominated the Huskies as they won 3-0 and 3-1. UB finished last year's series with a .292 hitting percentage (100-27-250). Over the course of their last four wins over Northern Illinois, Buffalo has a .278 hitting percentage (201-58-514). Smith has a 6-4 record against Northern Illinois.

The Bulls split their series against the Eastern Michigan Eagles last week. On Friday, the Bulls swept the Eagles as Forlin, Matthews and Mitchell finished with double-doubles. This was the second time this season that Buffalo had three players finish with a double-double in the same match. The Bulls looked to sweep the weekend from the Eagles as they held a 2-0 sets lead against Eastern Michigan, but they unfortunately fell in a reverse sweep. Forlin finished the week with 4.13 kills per set which was the top-mark in the MAC to go with her 4.75 points per set, good for second. Kleidon had a great week as she tallied 5.63 digs per set which ranked second in the conference.

ABOUT THE BULLS
• Two of the Bulls' longest active win streaks in the MAC have come against Akron and Northern Illinois at six and four wins, respectfully.
• Junior Manoela Forlin has 10+ kills in 14 of the 20 matches this season.
• In just conference play, Emerson Matthews is top-10 in the MAC in aces per set (0.39), total aces (16), total kills (154), kills per set (3.76), total points (183.0) and points per set (4.46).
• Sophomore middle blocker Ava Kanj has recorded 29 total blocks in the last seven matches, good for 1.07 blocks per set.
• Preseason All-MAC honoree Manoela Forlin and freshman Emerson Matthews have been the Bulls' one-two punch on the offensive attack. The duo has combined for 488 kills, which is 56.0% of the Bulls' total kills on the season. This is the highest rate in the MAC as Ball State's Carson Tyler and Noelle VanOort make up 53.5% of the Cardinals' kills is just behind for second.
• Maddie Mitchell has nine double-doubles on the season. Mitchell has recorded double-doubles in five of the last eight matches against Ohio (10/4), Akron (10/7), Central Michigan (10/10) and Eastern Michigan (10/23-24).
• The Bulls are 21-5 in sets where they reach 15 first, but are 6-42 when the opposition gets to 15 first.


Northern Illinois Huskies (10-10, 3-8 MAC)
DeKALB, Ill.—The Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (10-10, 3-8 MAC) hits the road on Tuesday (October 28) as they travel to Western Michigan University (11-13, 8-3 MAC) before returning home to take on the University at Buffalo (7-13, 4-7 MAC) on Friday and Saturday (October 31-November 1). The Huskies and Broncos are set for first serve at 5 p.m. CT in Kalamazoo, Michigan while the Huskies and Bulls of Buffalo are set to have first serve at 6 p.m. in DeKalb.
    
NIU claimed the first meeting this season against Western Michigan, a 3-0 sweep, in DeKalb on October 7. It was the first victory sweep of the Broncos since the 2019 season and first win in DeKalb since the 2022 season.
 
Emma McCartney recorded her first career double-double as she was credited with 16 kills, to lead all players, and 15 digs. Ava Grevengoed (Shorewood, Ill./Joliet West) added 12 kills as she and McCartney totaled 28 of the Huskies 50 kills in the contest.
 
Since meeting with the Huskies earlier this month, the Broncos have gone 5-1 in conference play. Mary Clare Brusek leads the Broncos with 2.89 kills per set and is joined by Annalise Patchett and Molly Brown with over 200 kills this season. Patchett and Brown average 2.53 and 2.28 kills per set respectively. Brown leads the Broncos with 35 aces this season, an average of .39 per set. Defensively, Elana Erickson leads the team with 4.13 digs per set.
 
Before facing off against the Huskies this weekend, the Bulls will have their second match-up with Akron on Tuesday night. Manoela Forlin and Emerson Matthews lead the Bulls with 3.44 and 3.34 kills per set, both having 244 kills this season. On the defensive side of the ball, Keira Kleidon leads the team with 3.91 digs per set.
 
Buffalo took both meetings last season while NIU holds the series record at 20-11.
 
McCartney is leading the Huskies with 2.99 kills per set and is joined by Grevengoed at 2.84 kills per set. Grevengoed has recorded three consecutive double-doubles and leads the Huskies with nine this season.
 
Sophomore setter Ella Strausberger reached 1,000 career assists in the Huskies match against Akron on October 25. Strausberger leads the Huskies with an average of 5.13 assists per set.

Rylea Alvin is leading the Huskies blocking efforts with 83 this season. With an average of 1.09 per set, Alvin lands at fifth in the MAC.
 

Eastern Michigan Eagles (11-13, 3-8 MAC)
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With seven regular-season matches remaining, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team will host Central Michigan University Tuesday, Oct. 28, 6 p.m., at the George Gervin GameAbove Center. The Eagles will then head to Ohio for two matches against the University of Akron Zips Friday-Saturday, Oct. 31-Nov. 1. Friday's match will start at 6 p.m. and Saturday's will begin at 4 p.m. from the James A. Rhodes Arena in Akron, Ohio.

LAST TIME AGAINST CMU
Eastern was swept by the Chippewas in Mount Pleasant, Oct. 7. The last time EMU faced CMU at home came Nov. 5, 2024, a 3-1 win for CMU. The match marked just the second time in EMU volleyball's 50-year history that the team played on a presidential election night. Eastern previously played on election night in 1984 when they bested the Michigan Wolverines in five sets in Ann Arbor, Nov. 6, the night that America re-elected its 40th President, Ronald Reagan.

RECENT CAREER-HIGHS
Bri Struck struck a career high 16 kills in the win over Buffalo, Oct. 24, while also setting career-best totals with five blocks and three digs. Wrigley Takats also swatted a career-best 10 blocks. Kaylin Schroeder made her first scratches in the stats book with 13 assists, two kills, and two digs against the Bulls, Oct. 24.  

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS
Eastern ranks 39th in the country in attacks per set (36.60). By volume, it ranks ninth in the county in total attacks (3,367), 12th in the nation in team digs (1,422), 17th in team total blocks (213.0), 33rd in team kills (1,130), 35th in team assists (1,043), and 38th in team service aces (147). In the national standings, Hatteras Welker slots eighth in total blocks (111). Ava Siefke slots 11th in total attacks (965), 26th in total points (376.0), and 42nd in total kills (318). In the national standings by volume, Welker's 11 blocks in a four-set match slot fifth, while Belcher's 41 dimes in a three-set match are the 11th most. Grasson's five aces tie for fifth in three-set matches.

MILESTONES
Ashlynn Belcher is 157 assists away from 2,000 in her career as she totals 1,843. Ella Voorhees sits 43 digs from 500, and 205 assists from 1,000. Ava Siefke is 25 aces away from the century mark.

UP NEXT
Eastern welcomes Ball State to the George Gervin GameAbove Center for its final two regular season home games Thursday-Friday, Nov. 6-7. Both games will start at 6 p.m. Admission is free and the matches can be streamed live on ESPN+.?


Kent State Golden Flashes (8-14, 3-8 MAC)
The Kent State volleyball team will play its final midweek match of the season when it travels to Ohio on Tuesday. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m.

PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
Kent State (8-14, 3-8 MAC) dropped a pair of home matches to Central Michigan last week

Senior Mackenzie McGuire has been among the conference's best offensive players and ranks second in kills per set (4.00) and third in points per set (4.49). McGuire is No. 55 nationally with 307 total kills. She has recorded at least 10 kills in 18 of 22 matches.

A pair of newcomers have made immediate impacts to Kent State's attack, as freshman Macie Moreland (151) and junior Mercedez Brown (145) are the next two kills leaders.

Sophomore Nadia Miller has increased her contributions over the past month and is averaging 3.09 points, 2.14 kills and team-high 1.23 blocks per set against MAC opponents. Miller has also increased her hitting percentage to .298 during league play.

Junior Christina Vigil ranks fifth in the MAC at 9.30 assists per set and is No. 55 in the nation with 744 total assists. She also leads the team at 2.60 digs per set.

MCGUIRE MAKING HER MARK
The only four-year member of the program, outside hitter Mackenzie McGuire officially entered the Kent State record book on Sept. 6 against Morgan State as the 17th member of the 1,000 kills club. She also tallied the 500th dig of her career during the match.

McGuire claimed the No. 6 spot on the Flashes career list this past Thursday against Central Michigan, passing Carrie Patterson (1996-99), and enters the weekend with 1,222 kills.

The Broken Arrow, Oklahoma native has been one of the most productive attackers in program history in terms of kills per set. McGuire's average of 3.44 is the third highest all-time.

BLOCK PARTY
With an average of 2.16 blocks per set, Kent State is having its most successful blocking season since 2021. Middle blocker Adalynn Ginley has made an immediate impact this fall after arriving to campus for the spring semester after transferring from Marshall. Ginley ranks ninth in the MAC with 1.05 blocks per set.

The block has picked up during conference play, as Kent State is averaging 2.45 per set against MAC competition while limiting opposing attackers to a .191 hitting percentage. The Flashes have totaled double-digit blocks five times over the past nine matches, including a season-best 14 at Eastern Michigan on Nov. 10. Middle blocker Nadia Miller leads the way with 1.23 blocks per set in league play, with Ginley (1.08 bps) and setter Christina Vigil (1.00 bps) close behind.