Unlike the 2011 season, Ball State hasn't seen the number of awards being thrown out to its players each week. But that might start changing.
Just as the Ball State team got hot this weekend in the Ball State Tournament, its players' individual performances began standing out to the rest of the Mid-American Conference. It was Kara Bates' first player of the week award and Catie Fredrich's fifth in her career.
Bates, a senior outside hitter, followed up one of her best two match stretches during the weekend to earn the MAC West Division Offensive Player of the Week title. Fredrich, a junior libero, continued a run she started last season earning the MAC West Division Co-Defensive Player of the Week.
Bates led the Cardinals in kills during its 3-0 weekend with 40 kills including a 15-kill performance on .444 hitting against Wright State (1-13). She also earned a season-high 18 digs in the four set victory over Wyoming (11-3).
Bates was shocked when she found out she had 18 digs in a single match.
"That is ridiculous," she said. "Because that's never happened, I think, in my whole life. We literally [during the three-hour practice] dug [a ton] of balls because our defense was just not good at all in the past couple weeks."
During the previous weekend, despite the team going 0-3, was an impressive one for her. She recorded 24 kills against Northern Colorado and 19 kills in the next match against Tulsa.
Fredrich recorded 54 digs in the team's three matches, and her 22 digs was one of four on the team to record double-digit digs in Ball State's win over Wyoming.
Coach Steve Shondell said it was still unclear when redshirt freshman outside hitter Marquita Marshall would be healthy again. The team still hasn't received more information on the severity of the knee injury she suffered in the Northern Colorado Classic.
Marshall received playing time in each match after just returning from a similar knee injury she suffered in preseason and kept her off the court for roughly four weeks.
Ball State opens MAC play in a Thursday match against Toledo with first serve at 7 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
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