MUNCIE, Ind. – This weekend, the Ball State women’s volleyball team is headed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for a three-match showdown. They will face off against Marquette on Friday, Milwaukee on Saturday, and James Madison on Sunday.
The team is currently 2-4. Although they have been off to a slow start, the team looks to turn things around this weekend by building momentum and team chemistry.
Ball State graduate transfer student, Noelle VanOort, has had a huge impact on the team thus far. She boasts 88 kills and 54 digs in the young season. VanOort looks forward to this weekend and the competition it will bring.
"I think it'll be really great competition for our team,” VanOort said. “I think we will be able to compete at a high level versus the teams that we have. Marquette is for sure always a great team, so I think we are all excited to play them and the other two teams as well, both good teams. So we are excited to compete at a high level."
Head coach Kelli Miller Philips is excited to take on tough teams this weekend. This includes Milwaukee, their Saturday competitor, which is ranked 16th in the NCAA.
“Getting to play in an environment at their home court is really going to challenge us to really put pressure in a lot of good ways,” Miller Phillips said.
Miller Philips also talks about the approach the team will take to start the weekend strong. She says the biggest thing to focus on is the controllable plays and not giving up easy points. She puts emphasis on the team’s “serve, pass, and defend” and says if they can do that at a high level, they are headed towards success.
“It’s not about the opponent, it's not about these huge gaping things that we need to improve, " Miller Philips said. “What would be success would be that we have way more handle on the controllable.”
The Lady Cardinals will kick off their weekend at 8 p.m. on Friday.
Contact Addison Yoder with comments at addison.yoder@bsu.edu.
