Ball State takes on Toledo with tournament seeding on the line
By Kara Biernat / November 2, 2016Ball State women’s volleyball will be shifting gears as they enter the week with a spot in the eight-team 2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Ball State women’s volleyball will be shifting gears as they enter the week with a spot in the eight-team 2016 Mid-American Conference Tournament.
With a backup quarterback running up against a top 25 opponent – what exactly does Ball State’s 52-20 loss to Western Michigan mean? After all, the Cardinals offense was able to move the ball – albeit it struggled to punch the ball into the end zone – several young players flashed their potential and the team still has a path to bowl eligibility. “There’s a lot of things that were good on tape, and I know we’ll be excited about some things that we put on tape about tonight’s game,” head coach Mike Neu said.
That “it” factor was Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis. The senior dominated against Ball State (4-5, 1-4 MAC) once again, hauling in 12 passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-20 road victory for the No. 17 Broncos (9-0, 5-0 MAC).
Quarter updates from Scheumann Stadium as Ball State (4-4) takes on Mid-American Conference opponent Western Michigan (8-0) Nov. 1.
In her first year as head coach, Christy Longacre led Ball State field hockey to its first Mid-American Conference Tournament since 2011, one season after the Cardinals lost all six of their conference games. But her biggest accomplishment might be returning a family culture back to the team. Longacre won't take the credit, however, because that’s her style. Instead, she said the seniors were responsible.
Ball State football playing on ESPN2 the day after Halloween means one thing: college students in full costume, hoping to get on national television for five seconds of post-commercial glory. Ahead of the game against No. 17 Western Michigan, here are some suggestions to deal with the costume policy released by Ball State Athletics for the game.
Tears flowed down the faces of Ball State soccer players, and some dropped to their knees in despair. It might just be a game, but the emotions are real.
Both of those droughts will end Nov. 1, as No. 17 Western Michigan (8-0, 4-0 MAC) comes to town for a Mid-American Conference showdown with Ball State (4-4, 1-3 MAC). The Broncos are the last undefeated team that does not reside in one of the Power 5 conferences.
After a few extra days off, Ball State (4-4) plays host to No. 17 Western Michigan (8-0) at 8 p.m. on Nov. 1. The Broncos raced out to a 30-0 lead in last year's meeting and walked off their home field with a 54-7 blowout victory.
Freshman defender Yela Zisweiler stepped up to the ball with Ball State soccer trailing Northern Illinois 4-3 in penalty kicks. Overtime ended with a 1-1 tie, forcing the shootout. Zisweiler needed to score to keep the game going. She ran up to the ball, launching it to the lower right corner of the goal, but Huskies goalkeeper MacKenzie Lee was ready for it. She dove to her left to block the kick. The Mid-American Conference regular season champions were eliminated -- again.
The Cardinals had a goal of finishing in the top eight of the Mid-American Conference Cross Country Championship.
The Cardinals are currently fourth in the MAC and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over fifth-place Longwood (2-3 MAC, 8-8 overall), but if Longwood wins Oct. 29 and Ohio (3-2 MAC, 6-10 overall) loses, there will be a three-way tie for third place.
Only four teams make tournament, and the Cardinals (7-10, 2-3 MAC) will take that last spot with a win over Central Michigan (2-15, 0-5 MAC) or if fifth-place Longwood (8-8, 2-3 MAC) loses to Missouri State (2-11, 1-4 MAC).
With a couple extra days before the Cardinals take on Western Michigan, several of the coaches hit the road early this week for recruiting. Since the team doesn't have a true bye week, head coach Mike Neu said this is the biggest week they've had to connect with recruits.
Last season, Ball State won the MAC regular season title, but lost to Akron in the first round of the tournament. The memory is still fresh in the team's mind.
Ball State men’s swim and dive hosts Albion College and Rose-Hulman for the first dual meet of the season Oct. 28.
Ball State women’s swim and dive is on the road for the second time this season, going up against the University of Akron on Friday, Oct. 28.
Ball State women’s volleyball will return back to the West Division to continue Mid-American Conference play.
One win is all that stands between Ball State women's soccer and its second consecutive Mid-American Conference regular season title.
Having a career year for Ball State field hockey (7-10, 2-3 MAC) is not enough for the ever hard-working senior goalkeeper Jordan Dues.
