Women's Volleyball

Ball State First to Punch Ticket into MAC Tournament

Friday Volleyball results
Akron 3, Eastern Michigan 2
Ball State 3, Kent State 1
Miami 3, Bowling Green 2
Northern Illinois 3, Buffalo
Ohio 3, Central Michigan 0
Toledo 3, Western Michigan 1
 
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments

Akron 3, Eastern Michigan 2 | Box Score
AKRON, Ohio - Vanessa Del Real, Delaney Gash and Gabby Brissett all recorded career-highs, as the Akron volleyball team defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles 3-2 (25-21,25-21,22-25,21-25,15-6) Friday at James A Rhodes Arena.

Gash set a new career-high in kills with 28, Del Real set a personal best in digs with 37 while Brissett set a career-high in kills with 16.

The Zips were led by a double-double from Gash, who registered 28 kills and 12 digs. Brissett followed 16 kills while Lyndi Wolf added 10. On the defensive end, Del Real chipped in for with 37 digs to go along with 12 from Reilly Chausse and Gash. Wolf and Martina Villani added five blocks to lead the Zips. Villani also served up 55 assists against the Eagles.

The conference victory improved Akron's record to 13-11 overall and 6-7 in MAC play.

Game Notes

» Akron had three players in double figures in kills.
» Akron had three players in double figures in digs.
» Wolf had a team-high three aces in the win.
» Gash registered a double-double with 28 kills and 12 digs
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the second set 25-21.
» Akron never trailed on the way to winning the fifth set 15-6.
» Gash had a match-high 28 kills for Akron.
» Akron got a match-high 37 digs from Del Real.
» Akron attackers were helped by a match-high 55 assists from Villani.

What's Next?
The Zips and Eagles conclude the series at James A. Rhodes Arena on Saturday, November 1 for a 4 p.m. start.



Ball State 3, Kent State 1 | Box Score
KENT, Ohio - - It was a good night at the M.A.C. Center for the Ball State women's volleyball team which locked up a berth into the 2025 Mid-American Conference Volleyball Championship with a 3-1 (25-20, 18-25, 25-19, 25-17) victory over Kent State Friday night.

Along the way, junior setter Lindsey Green became the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 career assists, dishing out 31 helpers on the day to raise her career total to 1,027. She also served up two more aces, raising her season total to 32 and her career total to 54. 

"I am very excited for Lindsey hitting the 1,000-assist mark," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips exclaimed! "She's always working to get better and help the team in any way possible. We're certainly going to need more of those this season."

In addition, with Toledo earning a 3-1 win over Western Michigan, the Cardinals (16-9; 12-1 MAC) moved within two matches of clinching the 2025 MAC regular season title and hosting rights to the 2026 MAC Volleyball Championship. Both the Broncos and the Rockets move to 9-4 in league play with the result of their match, giving Ball State a three-match lead in the league standings with five matches to play. The Cardinals also own the tiebreaker over both squads.

Thanks to the strong play from Green, along with 15 assists from freshman setter Reese Axness, Ball State managed to post a .246 (54-20-138) attack percentage in the contest, including a .333 mark in the opening set and a .361 rate of success in the fourth.

Sophomore outside Carson Tyler led a trio of Cardinals in double figures with 13 kills, while junior middle Camryn Wise added 11 and graduate outside Noelle VanOort chipped in 10. Tyler would also collect 10 digs for her 14th double-double of the season.

Wise continued her solid hitting, leading all players with a .500 (11-1-20) attack percentage. The effort helped her raise her league-leading attack percentage to .387. Wise also tied for team-high honors with three total blocks.

The Ball State offense also saw sophomore opposite Tiffany Snook smash nine kills and junior middle Gwen Crull add seven. Crull tied for team-high honors with three total blocks, while Snook added two. Both also recorded three digs to help the Cardinals hold a 62 to 59 edge in the category.

Leading the Ball State backcourt was sophomore libero Sophie Ledbetter with a match-high 23 digs. It was her seventh match with 20+ digs this season. Sophomore defensive specialist Elizabeth Tabeling fell one dig shy of double-digits, earning nine.

Another key factor in the win was Ball State's serving game, as the Cardinals tallied six aces while committing just four service errors. BSU also only allowed four aces, while benefitting from 11 Kent State service miscues.

For the Golden Flashes, Mackenzie McGuire earned a match-high 16 kills, while Greta Bolognini and Hailey Brenner tied for team-high honors with 13 digs. Ball State limited the Kent State attack to a .232 (52-20-138) attack percentage.

The Cardinals and Golden Flashes close their two-game series tomorrow with a 4 p.m. first serve at the M.A.C. Center.


Miami 3, Bowling Green 2 | Box Score
OXFORD, Ohio— The Miami University volleyball team (12-13, 6-7 MAC) edged past Bowling Green (13-12, 7-6 MAC) in a five-set match (25-22, 27-29, 25-18, 25-27, 15-13) on Friday night at Millett Hall. Molly Creech led all players with a career-high 24 kills, while Chelsea Williams (17) and Raegan Lantz (14) each added double figures in kills. Defensively, Gentry Warrick put down six blocks, while Lindsay Kahren (18) and Creech (17) led the team in digs.

NOTES:
  • With this victory, the RedHawks snap a 12-match losing streak to Bowling Green.
  • Utley and Hicks combined for 60 assists on the night.
  • Kahren (18), Creech (17), McClure (10) and Williams (10) had double-digit digs.
UP NEXT:
The RedHawks return to the court for another home match against Bowling Green on Saturday, Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.


Northern Illinois 3, Buffalo | Box Score
DeKALB, Ill.—With a reverse sweep to snap a seven-game losing streak, the Northern Illinois University Huskies (11-11, 4-9 MAC) defeated the University at Buffalo Bulls (7-15, 4-9 MAC) inside Victor E. Court this evening. The Huskies and Bulls posted set scores of 25-27, 23-25, 25-19, 25-16, and 15-10.
 
Ava Grevengoed marked her tenth double-double of the season as she led the Huskies with 15 kills. Emma McCartney collected her fourth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 12 digs. McCartney set a new career-best in blocks with five in tonight's contest.
 
Savannah Gogel got her first collegiate start this evening as she recorded 13 kills, two aces, and five block assists in the match. Gogel set new career marks in six statistical categories.
 
"We've been saying all year that our middles can be great, and you saw that tonight with all three of them. I'm proud of them for leading into what we need," said head coach Sondra D'Amore. "We've talked about our depth and we are going to need everybody. Finding a way to win in five is the confidence that we needed. It was refreshing to see that mentality come back. It's hard when you have the stretch that we did, and I saw some big shifts (from the team)."
 
The Huskies return to action on November 1 at 6 p.m. as they take on Buffalo in the final match of the series. Due to ICA Cheer competition taking place in the Convocation Center, fans are asked to park in lot C3 for the November 1 game against Buffalo.  


Ohio 3, Central Michigan 0 | Box Score
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Ohio volleyball team (10-15, 8-5 MAC) swept Central Michigan (9-16, 6-7 MAC) 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-23) on Friday, Oct. 31.
 
Ohio finished with a .280 attack percentage, 51 kills, five aces, five blocks, 44 assists, and 46 digs. Central Michigan finished with a .228 attack percentage, 37 kills, five aces, nine blocks, 33 assists, and 46 digs.
 
Once again, freshman Bailey Blair  led Ohio's offense with a team-high 12 kills and 13.6 points. Junior Gentry Brown added 10 kills and 11.5 points. Junior Emily Waddell finished with a .692 attack percentage with nine kills and no errors on 13 total attacks. Sophomore Darbi Ricketts recorded a team-high three aces. Sophomores Bryn Janke and Lexi Grissett tallied 29 and 10 assists, respectively.
 
Three different Bobcats finished with two blocks each. Junior Kendall Hickey recorded a team-high 14 digs.
  
The Bobcats will be back in action at Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. ET. The game will be available to watch on ESPN+.


Toledo 3, Western Michigan 1 | Box Score 
TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo senior setter Kelsey Smith eclipsed 2,000 career assists to help the women's volleyball team record a 3-1 victory (25-23, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20) over Western Michigan on Friday night at Savage Arena.

UT's win over the Broncos is its first since a 3-1 decision on Oct. 15, 2022 in Kalamazoo, Mich. and its first win at Savage Arena since Oct. 16, 2021 when the Rockets also tallied a four-set win.

The Rockets are now 18-7 overall (9-4 MAC) and in second place in the Mid-American Conference standings.

Senior Sophie Catalano led the Toledo offense, totaling a career-high 18 kills on a .385 clip to go along with five digs and four blocks. Sophomore Olivia Heitkamp poured in 14 terminations for her 13th match with double-figure kills this season. Senior Anna Alford recorded seven kills on a .412 hitting percentage and added three blocks.

On the defensive side, sophomore libero Grace Freiberger tallied 28 digs, five assists and two service aces. The 28 digs mark her 10th match of the season with 20-plus digs. Senior Macy Medors and freshman Jessica Costlow tallied 12 and 10 digs, respectively.

Smith totaled 50 assists en route to reaching 2,000 career assists while adding 11 digs for her 10th double-double of the season.

Up Next
Toledo wraps up the season series against Western Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 1 at Savage Arena. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. with coverage on ESPN+.