Ball State middle hitter Hayley Benson has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week, voted on by the MAC's 12 head coaches.
Strong middle play has carried the Cardinals on offense this season.
Trailing 12-10 in the third set of a 1-1 match, Jenna Spadafora, junior setter of the women’s volleyball team, earned two straight kills to tie the set.
In late match situations, the outcome usually comes down to one or two crucial plays. Being in the right place at the right time can sometimes be enough, but for Ball State women's volleyball player Kelly Hopkins, her play has gone beyond just luck.
For the first time in school history, the Ball State women’s volleyball team matched up against the University of Virginia.
The name Shondell is synonymous with Ball State volleyball.
Experience is difficult to replace.The Ball State women's volleyball team comes into this season following a 24-8 campaign in 2013-14.
The Ball State women’s volleyball team continues its spring slate of exhibition matches Tuesday when it takes on Dayton.The team has already taken on Purdue, and went to Indianapolis last weekend to participate in the Circle City Spring Tournament.The spring matches give younger and less experienced players a chance to show head coach Steve Shondell how much they’ve improved over the offseason.It also gives him a chance to incorporate new plays and different strategies into his offense and defense.Several starting positions are up for grabs after Ball State graduated five seniors who all played vital roles last season.Middle blockers Kelly Hopkins, Lauren Gross and Amanda Raker are looking to fill in an empty spot left by Mindy Marx, while Sabrina Magnapora will look to replace some of the lost offense that was provided by outside hitter Kylee Baker.The match begins at 6 p.m.
For fans following the men’s volleyball team, it seems like the perfect time to be nervous.
Ball State dropped its match against Lewis on Saturday night in five sets, falling 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 23-25 and 13-15. It’s the second time in three days that the Cardinals have blown a two-set lead, the first time coming against Loyola on Thursday night. Outside attackers Marcin Niemczewski and Matt Sutherland led the way offensively for Ball State, putting up 15 and 13 kills, respectively, while middle attacker Matt Leske added 12. The Cardinals hit .232 on the night and finished with 64 kills.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team fell to Loyola Thursday night in five sets, losing 25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 22-25, 14-16. The Cardinals were led offensively by outside attacker Shane Witmer and middle attacker Kevin Owens, who each had 12 of their team’s 54 kills. Middle attacker Matt Leske had Ball State’s only solo block, and led the team in assisted blocks with eight. Libero David Ryan Vander Meer finished with a team-high 14 digs with setter Graham McIlvaine being second with eight. The win breaks a 10-match win streak for Ball State, who falls to 17-6 overall and 6-3 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. The Cardinals will be back at 7:30 Saturday night in Worthen Arena to face Lewis.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team takes to the road to face No. 1 Loyola Thursday night. Riding a 10-match win streak, the Cardinals are offensively led by outside attacker Marcin Niemczewski, who leads the team with 258 kills. It’s the first road match in over a month for Ball State, who last played away from Worthen Arena on February 26. The last time the teams met, Loyola walked away with a 3-1 win despite Niemczewski’s 16 kills, establishing itself on the top of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. Ball State currently sits at 17-5 overall and 6-2 in the MIVA as the final few weeks of the season. The match begins at 8 p.m.
David Polaski is a junior journalism and telecommunications major and writes ‘Dave’s Digs’ for the Daily News.
There’s barely an inch of open space on Joel Walton’s desk, but most of the papers are neatly organized, laid out perfectly next to each other.
Ball State knocked off the New Jersey Institute of Technology on Thursday night 25-13, 21-25, 25-17 and 25-19. The win was No.
An exhausted Matt Sutherland took a deep breath after being asked how he felt. “Tired,” he said.
Ball State knocked off Lees-McRae in four sets Saturday night 25-19, 25-19, 27-29, 25-3. The team finished the match with 50 kills with outside attackers Marcin Niemczewski and Matt Sutherland pacing Ball State each claiming 11 kills. Setter Graham McIlvaine finished with a team-high 25 sets, while Hiago Garchet added 13 of his own. Ball State finished with 13 team blocks; Niemczewski and Kevin Owens each with a solo block. Libero David Ryan Vander Meer led the team with 15 digs, while Shane Witmer was not far behind, contributing 13 digs. The win improves Ball State’s record to 14-5.
When the final kill fell Tuesday night, one of the loudest teams in the conference was silent. Ball State knocked off IPFW 19-25, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-23.
This season Ball State men’s volleyball head coach Joel Walton has emphasized that serving well doesn’t have to mean getting aces. When the team knocked off No.
