Ball State women's volleyball's success among best in program history

MILWAUKEE, Wis. — On Sunday, before it headed to Milwaukee where it saw its season come to an end in a sweep (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) to No. 16 Marquette, Ball State had already cemented one of the best runs in program history.

It was then when the entire women's volleyball team was gathered around a TV as they watched the NCAA selection show. Once they heard their name called as an at-large bid, solidifying the third NCAA Tournament appearance in four years, the group of players and coaches screamed. Some had their hands on their head in disbelief, others simply jumped for joy.

Days earlier, there was quite a different feeling when Ball State stepped off the court after losing a five-set match in the Mid-American Conference championship on its home court. There seemed to be a realization the team's season would continue, but a question of whether or not it would be in the NCAA Tournament.

It's not easy for a mid-major program to be selected as one of 32 at-large bids into the tournament. Ball State's RPI (No. 51) was good enough to put them on the bubble, and the Cardinals showed enough to the selection committee to earn a bid over the likes of Colorado State and UCLA of the Mountain West and Pac-12.

Ball State's (24-9, 15-3 MAC) came to an end inside the Al McGuire Center Thursday night in Milwaukee, but this group had already cemented one of the most dominant runs in program history.

"All of our hard work has paid off," senior outside hitter Natalie Risi said, "... we just keep wanting to build upon that and wanting to teach the young girls Ball State volleyball culture and hopefully continue that on."

Only three times in the 51-year history of the program has a team made three or more NCAA Tournaments in four years. The dominant Cardinals' teams of the 1990s and 2000s accomplished those feats, making four straight from 1992-1995 and three out of four from 1999-2002. This group (2019-2022) was the third.

Only two other BSU teams (2000, 2011) have earned at-large bids into the NCAA Tournament. Only two others (1994, 1995) have won an NCAA Tournament game, this group accomplishing it in 2021.

Ball State wasn't able to pull off a first-round upset against a Marquette team which, on paper, appeared just as balanced. The Golden Eagles simply outmatched the Cardinals, dominating just about every statistical category, the most notable being attack percentage (.369-.221) and success at the service line, where Marquette had nine aces to six errors while Ball State had five aces to seven errors.

"Man, tough match," head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. "Marquette is a really, really good team. It felt like we had the best game plan we could have (had) coming into the match but got beat by a really good Marquette team. Proud of my group and how they hung in there.”

The Cardinals made things interesting early in the first and second sets — their only lead the entire night was a 1-0 advantage in the second set — but the Golden Eagles showed why they've only lost three matches all season and none at home.

Even on the misconnections, Marquette seemed to find a way to get a point. Five of its players finished with eight or more kills. The 50-50 balls seemed to go in the Golden Eagles' favor most of the night and the Cardinals couldn't rally playing from behind.

Senior middle Marie Plitt and junior outside Cait Snyder had 10 kills apiece. Senior opposite Natalie Mitchem had five. Senior Maggie Huber led the way with 14 digs while sophomore setter Megan Wielonski added 10 digs to go along with 28 assists. Risi and Huber each had two aces, both of which came in succession, but Ball State was never able to gather enough momentum to beat a superior Marquette team.

But the legacy of this team, particularly the 2019 class, set a new culture for Ball State women's volleyball. One in which MAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances are expected. Under Miller Phillips, Ball State has proven it is not just one of the most dominant Mid-Major programs, but should be considered one among the upper-echelon of Division I women's volleyball teams.

Ball State is currently among one of the best runs in program history. The question now is can the Cardinals, after graduating four four-year players, continue the success they've had the past four seasons?

"Absolutely," Plitt said. "I think the coaching staff and the girls before us have set such a good tone, so I think that will just continue on."

On Thursday, and throughout the year, Ball State has shown the future is bright.

Wielonski, the MAC setter of the year, had been nothing short of dominant in her first two seasons. Junior outside Cait Snyder's elevated play and continued contributions from junior Middle Lauren Gilliland has helped Ball State continue to be one of the most prolific offenses in the NCAA. Freshman outside Katie Egenolf, while she only had three kills against Marquette, flashed how powerful she can be as a hitter. There are others, including players Miller Philips said she was excited about in the 2023 class.

In the postmatch press conference, Miller Phillips said the expectation is not just being happy getting in to the NCAA Tournament, but having an expectation to win when Ball State gets there.

Having the success Ball State has had over the past few years is uncommon, to say the least. If it continues to put itself in a position to win the MAC and reach the NCAA Tournament, it'll be reaching unprecedented territory. Replacing players like Huber, Mitchem, Plitt, Risi, Havyn Gates and more won't be an easy task.

But sitting in the media room at Marquette before heading across the street to get on the bus back to Muncie, Miller Phillips smiled at the challenge that lies ahead.

"Definitely not an easy task to replace some of these people but that's our job as coaches," Miller Phillips said. "... I feel confident. It's about creating that process and it's our job to make sure we're not having that lull. But, certainly, it's not that you can just replace a class like the 2019 class."

Robby General covers Ball State and East Central Indiana high school sports for The Star Press. Contact him via email at rgeneral@gannett.com or on Twitter @rgeneraljr.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State volleyball: Cardinals amid one of best runs in program history