While each of these students have different stories and they participate in different sports, they all have one thing in common. Through planning for the future and putting themselves out there, these individual Cardinals have given themselves a starting point on the path to their future.
Although its season ended in defeat, Ball State earned a Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship, won a then NCAA-leading 30 matches, defeated Michigan to win its first NCAA match in 26 years and entered the Louisville matchup on a 20-match unbeaten run. Phillips said the Cardinals will continue to build.
It took 26 years until Ball State Women’s Volleyball (30-3, 17-1 MAC) recorded another victory in the NCAA tournament, as the Cardinals ended their drought with a five set victory against the University of Michigan (18-12, 11-9 BIG10) Dec. 3 in Lousiville, Ky.
This season, Ball State won an NCAA-leading 29 matches, added the program’s ninth-regular season championship to the trophy case, finished their MAC campaign with a 19th straight victory and booked a place in the NCAA Division I championship for the 10th time in program history.
The Cardinals defeated Western Michigan (19-12, 11-7 MAC) 3-1 in the semifinal of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in its quest to win its second MAC Championship title in three years.
With Bowling Green losing its match against Ohio Nov. 13, the Cardinals win also confirms the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship will be played at Worthen Arena Nov. 21-24.
With two regular season matches left, Ball State is tied with Bowling Green in the bid to host the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship, but Ball State holds the tiebreaker after sweeping the Falcons Oct. 29. If the Cardinals can win out, they will host the MAC Championship at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals played their final regular-season home match of the 2021 season against Central Michigan (11-16, 5-10 MAC) Nov. 5, defeating the Chippewas in four sets by scores of 25-19, 19-25, 25-18 and 25-17 respectively.
Head coach Kelli Miller Phillips grabs the attention of the group and emphasizes the game plan while assistant coaches Brad Kline, Tiffany Koors and Fritz Rosenberg tend to specific points of the court with players individually. Working quickly within their allotted time, the group performs almost telepathically together.
The win improved Cardinals record to 9-0 at home and extended their win streak to 12. Sweeping Miami also earned head coach Kelli Miller Phillips her 100th career win as a head coach.
The Cardinals defense limited Bowling Green to 15 points in the first set. A versatile attack could prove to be essential in the final stretch of the regular season and the postseason. Five Ball State players hit seven or more kills against Bowling Green, with Risi leading the way with 12.
Ball State earned its 10th consecutive victory Saturday afternoon by sweeping Western Michigan in three straight sets.
Ball State Women’s Volleyball swept Northern Illinois Friday evening by scores of 25-21, 25-17 and 25-17, respectively. The Cardinals utilized a different rotation from its normal lineup because graduate student outside hitter Emily Hollowell missed the match with a non-COVID related illness.
Graduate student outside hitter Jaclyn Bulmahn, graduate student outside hitter Emily Hollowell, junior defensive specialist Havyn Gates and graduate student setter Mamie Keith Garard are all new to Ball State Women’s Volleyball — but not volleyball at the collegiate level.
Ball State defeated Akron 3-0 Friday, improving its win streak to four. The Cardinals were anchored by an all-around serving performance, which helped cause separation from the Zips throughout the match.
Ball State swept Ohio Friday evening, with head coach Kelli Miller Phillips attributing part of the win to the Cardinal’s well-balanced attack. Sophomore middle blocker Lauren Gilliland, graduate student outside hitter Emily Hollowell, junior middle blocker Marie Plitt and junior outside hitter Natalie Mitchem combined for 35 kills against the Bobcats.
After a 3-2 loss Friday evening, Ball State returned Saturday with a 3-0 sweep of Kent State. The Cardinals win earned them a split of the two-day series. Head Coach Kelli Miller Phillips felt the Cardinals were motivated from the first set.
Ball State opened its Mid-American Conference slate with a loss against Kent State Friday evening. After winning the first two sets by scores of 25-19 and 25-13, the Cardinals lost the next three sets by scores of 28-26, 25-19 and 17-15 respectively.
When she first stepped foot on Ball State’s campus during her recruiting visit, Wielonski said she didn’t feel like an outsider. She immediately felt like she belonged as a Cardinal.
Ball State Women’s Volleyball swept Northern Kentucky by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 27-25 Friday evening. The match served as the Cardinals home opener, as well as the first time fans were allowed inside Worthen Arena at full capacity since since Nov. 16, 2019.
