INDIANAPOLIS – A quick mid-week stop before heading to another challenging preseason tournament, the IUPUI volleyball team (1-2) will make the short trek out to Muncie, Indiana, to face Ball State (0-3) Wednesday (Aug. 31) at 7 p.m. in the John E. Worthen Arena.  The Jags are coming off a hard-fought Hampton Inn Invitational this past weekend, in which the team defeated Central Michigan in its lone win of 2016.
 
Through the earliest parts of the season, the Jags are led on offense by Gabby Fisher, who currently sits second in the Summit League with 40 kills, averaging 3.64 kills per set.  Senior setter Alexis Mapes leads the Summit League with 11.27 assists per set, amassing 124 total through three matches.  Middle blocker Logan Walling also leads the Summit League with 1.55 blocks per set, collecting five solo blocks and 12 block assists.  Walling also boasts a team-best .319 attack percentage with 32 kills.
 
The Jags 2016 season started short of expectations, dropping their opening match to Duquesne before splitting day two with a win over CMU and a loss to Southern Illinois.  Two of the sets lost to the Dukes came by a combined six-point margin of difference, while all three of the sets lost to the Salukis were within four points.  After losing two starters from a season ago, the Jags are continuing to look to form their starting rotation, and have been extremely competitive throughout three contests despite the losses. 
 
Ball State will carry a winless record into the match, losing to Youngstown State, Murray State and Summit League-foe Fort Wayne at the Fort Wayne Tournament this past weekend.  The losses to Murray State and Fort Wayne both went to five sets, with the Cardinals unable to pull away from the opposition at critical points.  As a team, the Cardinals are hitting just .148, with an opponent's average of .260 against.  The well distributed offense features seven players with double-digit kills, while two Cardinal players carry a 1.00 blocks per set average.
 
The last time the Jags faced the Cardinals was in 2015, when IUPUI came away with a straight-set sweep at home (Sep. 2).  All-time, Ball State has defeated the Jaguars 14 out of the 17 meetings between the two teams. 
 
With 346 total blocks for her career, Walling has now moved into second-place all-time in IUPUI program history, sitting behind just Tracy Bailey (375).  Her five solo blocks this past weekend moved her to 53 for her career, and a tie for fourth-place in program history with Kortni Wright.  Kaitlyn Hickey holds the record with 76.
 
The match between Ball State and IUPUI will air on ESPN 3, with access to the broadcast available HERE.
 
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