Women's Volleyball

MAV Volleyball Begins Conference Play on Thursday!

Previews courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Northern Illinois Huskies (7-2, 0-0 MAC)
With their best start since the 2011 season, the Northern Illinois University Huskies volleyball team (7-2) is set to open Mid-American Conference play this week as they host the Central Michigan University Chippewas (3-9) on Sept 25 before welcoming the Eagles of Eastern Michigan University (8-5). Both games are set for 6 p.m. inside Victor E. Court on the NIU campus.
   
Non-Conference Recap
The Huskies won two of their tournaments during the non-conference slate, with the Stetson Invitational and NIU Invitational. The Huskies took second at the IU Indianapolis Hampton Inn Invitational before entering a bye week.
 
Ava Grevengoed and Emma McCartney are leading the Huskies by over 100 kills and over 3 kills per set.
 
Ella Strausberger and Jordyn Tynsky have 15 aces to lead the Huskies and are joined by Autumn Flynn and Grevengoed with double-digit aces.  Tynsky is leading the defensive efforts with 3.81 digs per set (141 total) while Rylea Alvin has 31 blocks this season.

Toledo Rockets (9-3, 0-0 MAC)
Thursday, Sept. 25 / vs. Kent State / Toledo, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats
Friday, Sept. 26 / vs. Ohio / Toledo, Ohio / 6:00 p.m. / Tickets / Watch (ESPN+) / Live Stats

Volleyball kicks off MAC play, hosting Kent State and Ohio this week at Savage Arena. The Rockets grabbed three wins at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational last weekend, concluding the non-conference slate with a final record of 9-3. The 9-3 record ties the best non-conference record since 2004. Olivia Heitkamp leads the Rockets offense, averaging 2.61 kills per set while Kelsey Smith is firing off 9.21 assists per set.

Akron Zips (7-4, 0-0 MAC)
The Zips begin Mid-American Conference action with a pair of home games, with Miami (OH) coming to James A. Rhodes Arena on Thursday while Ball State comes to the Rubber City on Friday.

How To Follow The Action
Miami (OH): Video | Stats
Ball State: Video | Stats

Stat Leaders for Akron: Kills: Maureen Mathews (167) | Assists: Martina Villani (377) | Points: Maureen Mathews (177.5) | Aces: Vanessa Del Real (25) | Digs: Vanessa Del Real (154) | Blocks: Chidera Ozoh (39)

Zips At A Glance: Akron enters Mid-American Conference action with a 7-4 overall record after defeating Youngstown State 3-1 and Cleveland State 3-0 the past week.

Delaney Gash led the Zips in kills this past week with 33 and hit .297. Gabby Brissett hit .366 with 21 kills and Maureen Mathews recorded 25 kills on the week. Vanessa Dell Real notched 29 digs, 13 assists and four aces while Martina Villani had 79 assists, which included a career high 48 at Youngstown State. Chidera Ozoh averaged a block per set, seven total, for the week. Gash and Villani earned weekly MAC awards for their efforts the past week.

So far this season, Mathews leads the Zips in kills (167) and points (177.5). Villani is the leader in assists (377) while Del Real leads the way in digs (154) and aces (25). Chidera Ozoh leads Akron in blocks (39).

Best In The Conference (9/22/25)
After helping the Zips to a 2-0 week that saw just one set go against the Blue and Gold, Delaney Gash and Martina Villani earned weekly Mid-American Conference awards, the conference office announced Monday, September 22. Gash finished the week with a .297 hitting percentage while leading the Zips in kills with 33 against Youngstown State and Cleveland State. Averaging 4.71 kills per set, she registered 19 kills and seven digs against Youngstown State while adding 14 kills and a .303 hitting percentage in a sweep of Cleveland State. Villani anchored the Zips offense this past week, once again resetting her career-high in assists in the process. Recording a career-high 48 assists at Youngstown State, Villani also added eight digs, three kills, two blocks and two aces against the Penguins. She would register 31 assists in a 3-0 victory over Cleveland State while adding six digs, three kills, three aces and three blocks in the home victory over the Vikings.

Leaders In The MAC 
Akron ranks in the top-five in the MAC in points per set (4th - 16.65), hitting % (5th - .210), fewest opp assists (4th - 455), fewest opp assists per set (3rd - 10.58), assists per set (3rd - 12.02),, fewest opp kills (4th - 482), fewest opp kills per set (2nd - 11.21), total kills (5th - 562), kills per set (3rd - 13.07), total aces (4th - 75), aces per set (5th - 1.74), fewest opp digs (3rd - 529), fewest opp digs per set (12.30) and total digs (5th - 347).

Individually, the Zips see Maureen Mathews ranked 4th in total kills (167) and kills per set (3.88) while ranked 6th in total points (177.5) and points per set (4.13). Delaney Gash ranks 8th in total kills (141), 7th in kills per set (3.53), 8th in total points (153) and 7th in points per set (3.83). Martina Villani ranks 7th in total assists (377) and 6th in assists per set (8.77). Vanessa Del Real ranks 1st in total aces (25) and aces per set (.58) while ranked 7th in total digs (154) and 6th in digs per set (3.58).  Chidera Ozoh ranks 6th in total blocks (39) and 9th in blocks per set (.91). Lyndi Wolf ranks 8th for total blocks (33).

Among The Best In The NCAA
As a team, the Zips rank 80th in the NCAA in aces per set (1.74), 96th in kills per set (13.07), 97th in total assists (517), 91st in total kills (562) and 76th in total aces (75). Individually, Vanessa Del Real ranks 20th in the NCAA in aces per set (.58) and 18th in total aces (25). Maureen Mathews ranks 80th in kills per set (3.88), 96th in total points (177.5) and 53rd in total kills (167). Martina Villani ranks 72nd in total assists (377).

New Career Highs (Sept. 18-19)

  • Chidera Ozoh set a career-high in kills (7, at Youngstown State).
  • Martina Villani set a career-high in assists (48, at Youngstown State).
  • Gabby Brissett tied her career-high in kills (15, at Youngstown State).

What's Next?
The Zips hit the road to battle Ohio (Friday, Oct. 3) and Kent State (Saturday, Oct. 4).


Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-5, 0-0 MAC)
After an 8-5 non-conference slate, the Eastern Michigan University volleyball team is set to open Mid-American Conference action on the road against Western Michigan University Thursday, Sept. 25, 6 p.m., followed by a match against soon-departing MAC foe, Northern Illinois University Friday, Sept. 26, 7 p.m. ET.

Fans can follow along with the action using the live stats and watch links that can be found on the EMU volleyball schedule page at emueagles.com/volleyball/schedule. Fans can also follow the team's social media accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook @EMUVolleyball for live in-match updates. A post-match recap will also be posted to EMUEagles.com following the game.

OPENING MAC PLAY
Eastern volleyball is entering its 46th year of MAC competition, Since the 1980 campaign, the Eagles post a 23-22 record in MAC openers. EMU bested Kent State in reverse-sweep fashion in last season's conference opener, Sept. 26. The Eagles are looking to win the MAC opener in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2007-08, when they beat Ball State in 2007 and Toledo in 2008.

RECORD IN ROAD MAC OPENERS
Eastern is opening MAC play on the road for the 25th time. The Eagles have played well when doing so as they hold a 14-10 record in such circumstances. EMU is 1-1 in MAC openers under Head Coach Kevin Foeman as both have taken place on the road. Eastern is looking to win consecutive MAC road openers for the first time since it beat Northern Illinois, Sept. 23, 2005, and won its next MAC opener on the road in the 2008 season against Toledo, Sept. 26, 2008.

OPENING MAC PLAY ON THE ROAD FOR THE THIRD STRAIGHT SEASON
Eastern is opening MAC play on the road for the third consecutive season, marking the first time the program has been tasked with the challenge since 2014-16. A win against the Broncos would give EMU a 2-1 record in MAC openers the last three seasons, bettering the 1-2 mark from 2014-16. Additionally, Central Michigan is the only other MAC team slated to start conference action away from its home venue for the third consecutive season, as it is starts at Northern Illinois Thursday, Sept. 26. 

STARTING STRONG
Eastern is off to its first 8-5 start since the 2018 season, the last time it won a MAC Tournament Championship.

AHEAD OF SCHEDULE: 2025 WIN TOTAL
Eastern is off to its first 8-5 start since the 2018 season, the last time EMU won the MAC Tournament. Last season, the Eagles posted six wins through their first 13 games. EMU didn't reach eight wins till Sept. 27 last season, when it bested Kent State for the second straight match in the first weekend of MAC play, 3-0.

NON-CON SUCCESS
Eastern's .615 non-conference winning percentage this season (8-5 record) is its best since the 2013 season when it ended the non-conference slate with a .666 winning percentage (10-5 record).  

HISTORIC HITTING PERCENTAGES
Eastern hit .424 (41-5-85) in the sweep over Purdue Fort Wayne, Sept. 4. The clip ranks first in the MAC and sixth in program history. The Eagles followed that up with a .381 hitting percentage in the three-set win over Oakland, Sept. 19, a mark that stands ninth in program history and fifth in the MAC.

The 2025 season is the second in program history where the Eagles have recorded multiple program top-10 hitting percentages. It previously recorded four program top-10 marks in the 1999 campaign, including the second-best mark in program annals, a .594 clip against Chicago State, Sept. 3. 

WELKER 11 BLOCKS PROGRAM STANDING
Hatteras Welker's 11 blocks against Valparaiso rank second in EMU program history while standing second in the MAC, first in a four-set match, and fourth in the nation in four stanzas.

HIGH IN MAC/NAT'L RANKINGS 
Eastern ranks in the top three in the MAC in seven categories. By volume, EMU ranks 16th in the nation in total kills (644) and total assists (595), 25th in total attacks (1,744), 28th in total blocks (112.0), and 32nd in total digs (728).

Eastern ranks first in the MAC in six team single-game categories, and inside the top four in nine total.

Eastern Michigan has four players that rank inside the conference top five in various per-set categories. In the national standings, Welker slots 23rd in blocks per set (1.47) and fourth in total blocks (69), Belcher ranks 15th in total assists (441), while Siefke ranks 19th in total points (213.0) and 34th in total kills (179).

In the national standings by volume, Welker's 11 blocks in a four-set match slot fourth, while Belcher's 41 dimes in a three-set match are the seventh most. Grasson's four aces tie for seventh in four set matches, and Bonney's .688 clip ties for 12th (15-19 attempts).

MILESTONES
Ava Siefke recently reached the 500 mark with her 17 kills in the win over SIU, Sept. 12. Ashlynn Belcher reached the 500 digs mark with nine against Oakland, Sept. 19, she now has 508 in her four-year NCAA tenure. Abby Stanford reached 500 kills with her four at IU Indy, Sept. 18 as she totals 509 in her collegiate career.

UP NEXT
Eastern welcomes Bowling Green and Toledo to the George Gervin GameAbove Center next week, Friday-Saturday, Oct. 3-4.

Bowling Green Falcons (6-6, 0-0 MAC)
The Bowling Green State University volleyball team will begin the MAC portion of their season with back-to-back home matches. Bowling Green will first host Ohio on Thursday (Sept. 25) before transitioning to Kent State on Friday (Sept. 26). Both matches are scheduled for 6 p.m. starts inside the Stroh Center. Thursday will be Casino Night while Friday's theme will be Teal Attack. Both matches will also be available to stream on ESPN+.

BGSU Schedule This Week
Thursday, Sept. 25 | BGSU vs. Ohio | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Friday, Sept. 26 | BGSU vs. Kent State | 6 p.m. ESPN+

First Serve 
  • The Falcons will open MAC play with a pair of home matches, hosting Ohio on Thursday (Sept. 25) and Kent State on Friday (Sept. 26), both 6 p.m. starts. 
  • Bowling Green enters the MAC portion of the season with a record of 6-6. However, the Orange and Brown are 6-2 when playing teams that aren't receiving votes in the nation's top 25 poll. 
  • Teams that BGSU has lost to this year have a combined record of 39-14 (.736). Overall, the Falcons had the third-hardest non-conference schedule in the MAC behind Ball State and Ohio with Bowling Green's ranking 109th in the nation.
  • The Falcons closed out the non-conference schedule with a 4-1 record in their last five matches with the only loss being to undefeated Michigan State in four sets. 
  • BGSU has recorded a win in their MAC opener in each of the last seven seasons as well as adding a win in their MAC home opener in each of the last five seasons.
  • In the all-time series against Ohio, Bowling Green has won 12 of the last 14 meetings while also registering a win the last seven times they've hosted the Bobcats. 
  • In the all-time series against Kent State, the Falcons have won each of the last 10 meetings as well as 18 of the last 19, dating back to the 2015 season.
  • The Orange and Brown head into the MAC schedule with 396 MAC wins in program history, just four away from reaching 400. So far, only two schools have hit the mark, being Western Michigan and Ball State. 
Starting MAC Play Strong
The Falcons will look to open MAC play in the win column for what would be the eighth-straight year. Bowling Green has won their MAC opener each season dating back to the 2018 campaign. During the seven-year stretch, BGSU advanced to at least 2-0 in six of the seasons, including an 11-0 start in 2021 and a BGSU Athletics record 18-0 start during the 2020-21 campaign. The Falcons closed out their non-conference schedule with wins in four of their last five. 

Home Sweet Home
Bowling Green will be looking to extend their streak of wins in their MAC home opener as well. BGSU has won their first home MAC match each of the last five seasons, going back to 2020. During that five-year stretch, the Falcons have put together an impressive 42-8 record at home against MAC opponents, producing an .840 winning percentage. The streak includes an undefeated 9-0 home MAC record during the 2021 season. This year, BGSU won their lone home match so far, topping Oakland in a 3-0 final on Sept. 17.

BGSU Approaching MAC Milestone
As a program, Bowling Green is nearing a milestone in the way of conference wins. Entering the 2025 MAC schedule, the Falcons hold 396 wins all-time against MAC opponents, leaving the team just four shy of reaching 400 MAC wins as a program. Entering MAC play, only two teams in the conference have reached 400 wins, being Western Michigan (457) and Ball State (459). However, in addition to BGSU, both Miami (OH) (398) and Ohio (392) have less than 10 wins to hit the mark. 

Miami RedHawks (6-6, 0-0 MAC)
The Red and White begin a road trip where they will face off with Akron on Thursday, Sept 25 at 6 p.m. The RedHawks follow this up by heading to Buffalo the next day for an evening match on Friday, Sept. 26 at 6 p.m. 

UP NEXT: The RedHawks continue conference play by hosting Western Michigan on Thursday, Oct. 2 at 6:30 p.m. Miami follows this up with another home contest versus Northern Illinois on Friday, Oct. 3 at 6:30 p.m.

WARRICK WATCH: Gentry Warrick is currently tied for sixth all-time in Miami history with 0.99 career blocks per set. She holds a total of 72 career solo blocks (sixth all-time in Miami history). Warrick also ranks sixth in the nation in total blocks (67) and 13th in blocks per set (1.52). Her 1.52 blocks per set leads the MAC currently. The Red and White stand at 16th in the country in team total blocks (119) as well.

RECENT ACTION: The RedHawks most recently went 1-1 in a weekend series versus the Northern Kentucky Norse. Lindy Radaszewski led the RedHawks' attack in each of those matches versus the Norse, as she recorded 3.75 kills per set while maintaining a .540 hitting percentage. She also led the Red and White in points, as she totaled 32.5 (4.06 per set) across the two matches. The freshman middle hitter saw action as an opposite hitter and had 30 kills, two service aces, one assist and one block assist over the weekend. Radaszewski led all players with a career-high 19 kills (.531 hit percentage) in Saturday's five-set win over the Norse.
 
Kent State Golden Flashes (5-6, 0-0 MAC)
The Kent State volleyball team opens Mid-American Conference play this weekend with single matches at Toledo on Thursday and preseason favorite Bowling Green on Friday.

WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Thursday, September 25 | 6 p.m. | Kent State at Toledo
Friday, September 26 | 6 p.m. | Kent State at Bowling Green

PREVIEWING THE FLASHES
Kent State (5-6) split its two final non-conference matches, falling to Cleveland State (0-3) and then beating Youngstown State (3-2) last week.

Senior Mackenzie McGuire is the MAC leader in both points per set (4.87) and kills per set (4.36), while ranking 22nd in the nation in total kills (183). McGuire has recorded at least 17 kills in seven of 11 matches and ranks second in the conference in points per set (4.76).

A trio of newcomers have made immediate impacts to Kent State's attack, as junior Mercedez Brown (71), freshman Macie Moreland (70) and redshirt sophomore Adalynn Ginley (53) are the next three kills leaders. Ginley ranks fifth in the conference in both hitting percentage (.299) and blocks per set (1.03).

Junior Christina Vigil ranks second in the MAC at 9.43 assists per set and leads the Flashes with 103 digs.
 

Buffalo Bulls (3-6, 0-0 MAC)
The University at Buffalo women's volleyball team (3-6, 0-0 MAC) will host the Ball State Cardinals (4-8, 0-0 MAC) and the Miami RedHawks (6-6, 0-0 MAC) to open Mid-American Conference play. The Bulls will play the Cardinals on Thursday followed by the RedHawks on Friday. Both matches will start at 6 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.

It will mark the first time in program history that the Bulls will open MAC play against Ball State. Buffalo are winners of three straight over the Cardinals, including a win at Worthen Arena last year. This was the first time Bulls beat Ball State on the road. In 2022, the Bulls defeated 6-seed Ohio in the MAC Tournament Quarterfinals at Worthen Arena as Ball State hosted the tournament. In the overall series, the Cardinals lead, 28-4.

The Bulls will finish the weekend against the Miami RedHawks. Against their MAC opponents, Buffalo has their longest win streak of seven matches against the RedHawks. Under Head Coach Scott Smith, the Bulls are 5-0 against Miami in Alumni Arena, including three sweeps. The RedHawks lead the all-time series, 34-17.

Last weekend at the Duquesne-Robert Morris Invite, the Bulls struggled against their competition. On Friday at Duquesne, the Bulls fell in straight sets, 23-25, 20-25, 16-25. The Bulls looked to bounce back against the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday but lost in three sets, 18-25, 22-25, 29-31.

Manoela Forlin led the Bulls with 18 kills, good for 3.00 kills per set. Tehya Shaw was excellent at the net as she tallied 11 total blocks, an average of 1.83 per set.

ABOUT THE BULLS
 • Junior Manoela Forlin has 10+ kills in eight of the nine matches this season.
• Preseason All-MAC honoree Manoela Forlin is averaging a team-best 4.14 points per set. This ranks fifth in the MAC and 123rd in the NCAA.
• Maddie Mitchell has three double-doubles on the season, including one against Robert Morris, where she recorded a career-high 16 digs.
• The Bulls currently have the third-best hitting percentage in the MAC at .220, good for 139th in the nation.
• The freshmen trio of Maddie Mitchell, Sydney Bell and Emerson Matthews have account­ed for 44.5% of the team's kill total with 181 of the 407. They have a combined .220 hitting percentage on the season.
• The Bulls are 9-2 in sets where they reach 15 first, but are 3-19 when the opposition gets to 15 first.
• The Bulls are 90th in the nation, averaging 1.73 aces per set this season. This mark is good for fifth in the MAC.

Ball State Cardinals (4-8, 0-0 MAC)
It is the start of #MACtion for the Ball State women's volleyball team which opens league play Thursday with a 6 p.m. first serve at Buffalo ... The Cardinals will then travel to Akron for a 6 p.m. showdown Friday.
    
BALL STATE ALL-TIME: Ball State enters Thursday's match at Buffalo with a 1038-666-2 (.609) 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).
  
BALL STATE IN THE MAC: With a 13-5 league record in 2024, Ball State maintained its status as the winningest program in league play with a 459-225 (.671) all-time Mid-American Conference mark ... Western Michigan is second on the list, two matches behind the Cardinals at 457-227 (.668).
 
SCOUTING BALL STATE:
• The Cardinals enter the week with a 4-8 overall record after going 0-3 last weekend ... Ball State bookended a 3-0 setback to then-No. 11 Purdue (Sept. 19) with five-set losses to Cincinnati (Sept. 18) and Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 20).
• Ball State enters the week as one of the nation's top terminating teams, ranking 12th nationally with 667 total kills ... 217 of those kills, which is fourth nationally, have come from the arm of sophomore outside Carson Tyler who also ranks second in the MAC and 40th nationally with a 4.25 kills-per-set average.
• In addition, the Cardinals lead the MAC and rank 75th nationally with a .245 team attack percentage ... Junior middle Camryn Wise is second in the league and 121st nationally with a .351 rate of success, while junior setter Lindsey Green ranks 37th nationally with 404 total assists and owns an 8.08 assists-per-set average.
 
BALL STATE QUICK HITS:
• Graduate outside Noelle VanOort made quite an impact during her first four weeks playing for the Cardinals, smashing 165 total kills, collecting 122 digs and hitting .268 (165-51-425) ... A member of the Golden Gopher Invitational All-Tournament Team, VanOort has smashed double digit kills in 10 of BSU's 12 matches, including a season-high 20 kills twice ... She has also been credited with six kill/dig double-doubles ... The effort helped her raise her collegiate total to 11 matches with 20+ kills, including a 20/20 effort Nov. 5, 2022, with 23 kills and 25 digs versus Siena Heights.
• Prior to arriving at Ball State, Noelle VanOort finished her four-year playing career at Indiana Tech (2021-24) as a two-time NAIA Third Team All-American ... Her 1,724 career kills ranked second in program history, while her 1,648 career digs were sixth ... She also set the program standard with 282 career service aces ... She has continued to find success in her first four weeks playing for the Cardinals with double-digit kills in 10 of the 12 outings ...  The effort upped her career total to 107 collegiate matches with double-digit kills.
• Noelle VanOort has been just as solid on defense through the first four weeks, earning double-digit digs seven times, including a season-high 23 vs. Cincinnati (Sept. 18) ... The effort has raised her career total to 97 matches with double-digit digs, including her 90 at Indiana Tech ... It also helped her raise her collegiate kill/dig double-double total to 74, including six with Ball State and 68 with the Warriors.
• Sophomore outside Carson Tyler has been even more impressive over the first four weeks, smashing 217 total kills for a team-high 4.25 kills-per-set average ... The effort includes a career-high 28 kills versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18), 26 kills versus James Madison (Sept. 14) and 21 kills at UConn (Sept. 5) ... Last season, Tyler averaged 3.34 kills per set to become the first player in program history to earn AVCA Midwest Region Freshman of the Year accolades.
•  Carson Tyler has smashed double-digit kills in all 12 matches for the Cardinals so far this season, raising her career total to 34 ... She has secured 20+ kills in 10 of those matches and is one of just nine players in program history to register 20-or-more kills in at least 10 career matches.
• A six-rotation player, Carson Tyler is currently second on the squad with 130 digs this season ... She has recorded kill/dig double-doubles in seven matches so far this season, with her latest coming versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18) which she tallied a career-high 28 kills and 12 digs ... She registered career-high 19 digs in the win at Marquette (Sept. 12) and score 18 versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31) and James  Madison (Sept. 14) ... Tyler also leads Ball State's primary passers with a .969 reception percentage this seasons, successfully passing 282 of the 291 serves she faced ... Tyler led the Cardinals' primary passers last season with a .963 reception percentage by successfully passing 650 of the team-high 675 serves she faced.
• With 20 kills each in the Aug. 31 match versus Cal Poly, Noelle VanOort and Carson Tyler became the first Ball State duo to record 20-or-more kills in the same match since the 2007 season ... Brittany May and Julie Breivogel were the last players to do so with 21 and 20 kills, respectively, in an Oct. 5, 2027 match versus Western Michigan.
• Sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter paces the Ball State defense with 195 digs and a 3.82 digs-per-set average so far this season ... The dig total currently ranks third among MAC defenders, while the average is fourth ... Ledbetter has recorded double-digit digs in 11 of BSU's 12 matches, upping her career total to 34 ... The effort includes a career-high tying 27 digs in last Saturday's match versus Eastern Kentucky and 26 digs in the season-opener versus St. Thomas (Aug. 29).
• Sophie Ledbetter earned her first collegiate double-double versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31), handing out 10 assists to go along with her 14 digs in the outing.
• Junior Lindsey Green and freshman Reese Axness have combined to lead the Ball State offense to a .245 attack percentage so far this season which is first in the MAC and 75th nationally ... Green, who dished out a career-high 51 assists twice this season, currently ranks eighth in the MAC with an 8.08 assists-per-set average, with her 404 total assists ranking 37th nationally ... She also leads the squad with 15 service aces ... Axness, meanwhile, enters the week with a 3.97 assists-per-set average and has served up a pair of aces.
• Sophomore transfer middle/opposite Tiffany Snook turned in one of the best matches of her collegiate career versus Cal Poly (Aug. 31), smashing a career-high 16 kills while connecting for a .481 (16-3-27) rate of success ... It was her 10th collegiate match with double-digit kills, including nine in her lone season at Memphis, and was three kills more than her previous career high of 13 at Southern Illinois Sept. 6, 2024.
• Junior middle Gwen Crull turned up the offensive heat last weekend, reaching double-digit kills for the first two times in her collegiate career ... She started with a career-high 12 kills versus Cincinnati (Sept. 18) and followed with 11 two matches later versus Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 20) ... Crull also leads the Ball State defense with a 0.76 blocks-per-set average.

Central Michigan Chippewas (3-9, 0-0 MAC)
The Chippewas traveled to State College, Pa. over the weekend. Despite CMU falling to both Princeton and No. 13 Penn State, 0-3, Central Michigan put up a fight that looks to be sending them into MAC play on a high note. 

In the battle with the reigning national champions, CMU dropped the sets 21-25, 20-25 and 22-25. Coach Wilson believes this is a huge step in the right direction to see the growth of her squad heading into conference play.

HEADED HOME ON A HIGH NOTE
Central Michigan Volleyball left their trip to Milwaukee with a three-set sweep over the host Panthers. The victory marked the first victory sweep for the Chippewas under Arielle Wilson. Abby Olin lead CMU offensively with 10 kills, hitting .421and had three total blocks. Izzy Swiercz and Taylor Cripe each charted 9 kills hitting .400 and .261 respectively. In Milwaukee, the Chippewas dropped matches to Iowa State (0-3) and South Alabama (1-3). Overall on the trip, Central Michigan hit .224 as a team, led by Grace Thomas hitting .400 with 17 kills. At the service line, CMU charted 14 aces, and blocked 19 balls.


Western Michigan Broncos (3-10, 0-0 MAC)
The Western Michigan volleyball team returns to University Arena on Thursday and Friday to open up Mid-American Conference play against in-state rivals Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
Match One: Thursday, Sept. 25 | 6 pm | WMU vs EMU | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS
Match Two: Friday, Sept. 26 | 6 pm | | WMU vs CMU | TICKETS | WATCH LIVE | LIVE STATS

TIME FOR #MACTION
Western Michigan returns to University Arena this week to open up Mid-American Conference play against in-state rivals Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. The Broncos have won six straight conference openers.

LAST TIME OUT
The Broncos won two out of their three matches last weekend at the Capital Credit Union Classic. WMU started the week by outlasting tournament host Green Bay in five, fueled by Molly Brown's career-high 25 kills. After falling to Northern Iowa on Friday, Western Michigan bounced back to dispatch Tennessee Tech in straight sets on Saturday. 

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
After winning a pair of matches last weekend in Green Bay, Elana Erickson and Leah Richmond were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Erickson collected 74 digs (6.73/set) and was perfect (26-for-26) in serve receive, while Richmond racked up 111 assists (10.09/set) and 45 digs (4.09/set) on the way to recording three double-doubles.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season, Elana Erickson was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. WMU's sophomore libero posted a career-high 34 digs in the five-set win over Green Bay, and went on to average 6.73 digs per set for the tournament. Erickson leads the MAC in both total digs (235) and digs per set (4.90), with her total digs ranking 12th in NCAA Division I and her digs per set average the 21st-best mark nationally.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Leah Richmond registered double-doubles in all three matches at the Capital Credit Union Classic last week, making it four straight double-doubles and nine total this season for the Western Michigan setter. The redshirt freshman's weekend of double-doubles included a career-night in the tournament-opening win at Green Bay, in which she posted career highs in both assists (60) and digs (19). Richmond heads into conference play ranked third in total assists (440) and fourth in assists per set (9.17).
 

Ohio Bobcats (2-10, 0-0 MAC)
Sept. 25 / at Bowling Green / Bowling Green, Ohio / Stroh Center / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats 
Sept. 26 / at. Toledo / Toledo, Ohio / Savage Arena / 6 p.m. ET / ESPN+ / Watch / Live Stats 

The Ohio volleyball team (2-10, 0-0 MAC) opens Mid-American Conference play this week on the road. The week begins on Thursday, Sept. 25 when Ohio takes on Bowling Green (6-6, 0-0 MAC) on the road. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside the Stroh Center and can be seen on ESPN+. Ohio then heads down to roead to Toeldo, Ohio on Friday, Sept. 26 to take on Toledo (9-3, 0-0 MAC). First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET inside Savage Arena and can be seen on ESPN+. 

Bowling Green is 6-6 overall and is coming off a 1-1 weekend at the Kathy DeBoer Invitational, defeating Binghamton and falling to Michigan State. Toledo is 9-3 overall and is coming off a three-win weekend at the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational, defeating Bellarmine, Mercyhurst and Purdue Fort Wayne.  

Ohio is looking to get back on track after battling last weekend at the Charlotte Invitational. 


For more MAC Volleyball news throughout the season, visit the new www.GetSomeMACtion.com  and follow @MACSports on X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.