THIS WEEK: The RedHawks continue conference play by hosting Ball State on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m. 

ABOUT BALL STATE: Kelli Miller Phillips is currently in her ninth season as the head coach of the Ball State Cardinals. She holds a 157-95 record as a head coach with the Cardinals. Prior to the start of the 2024 season, Ball State was selected to finish third overall in the MAC Volleyball Coaches Poll. So far this year, the Cardinals are 8-7 (1-3 MAC), most recently splitting a pair of matches at Central Michigan over the weekend. 

Ball State ranks among conference leaders in multiple statistical categories. The Cardinals are first in the MAC in hitting percentage (0.245) and hold the third spot in blocks per set (2.36). They also stand at fourth in assists per set (12.0) and kills per set (12.77).

Numerous Cardinals lead the MAC in overall statistics. Megan Wielonski ranks second in assists per set (10.05) and ninth in service aces per set (0.35). Madison Buckley (.295) and Aayinde Smith (.294) rank sixth and seventh in hitting percentage. Gwen Crull has knocked down 1.19 blocks per set to take the fourth spot in the MAC, with Smith following closely behind at seventh (1.05 per set) in the conference. Aniya Kennedy and Carson Tyler are tied for eighth with 3.20 kills per set. Sophie Ledbetter holds the tenth spot in digs per set (3.71). 

The all-time series is 46-39 in favor of Ball State. The last time Miami took on the Cardinals the RedHawks fell 1-3 on Oct. 6, 2023. 

TELEVISION: Tuesday's match will be available to stream on ESPN+ and can also be followed through live stats on MiamiRedHawks.com. 

UP NEXT: The Red and White continue conference play by hosting Buffalo on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. and Akron on Saturday, at 4 p.m. in Millett Hall.

ACE SHOW: The RedHawks enter this week's matches ranked 14th in the nation in aces per set (1.98) and 44th in team service aces (96). Miami also leads the Mid-American Conference in service aces per set with two RedHawks who rank in the top 10 of the MAC. Ellie Hanson (21 total) leads Miami with an average of 0.40 aces per set. Ana Vetter (19 total) has totaled 0.36 aces per set. 

MAC LEADERS: Gentry Warrick currently ranks 31st nationally and first in the MAC in blocks per set (1.34). She also finds herself at 44th in the country and third in the MAC in total blocks (71). Hayden Hicks has recorded 7.75 assists per set (fifth in the MAC) and Anna McClure has totaled 4.13 digs per set, which puts her at sixth overall in the MAC. 

CRAWFORD SET FOR SUCCESS: Freshman setter Sophie Crawford's first start for the Red and White came at the Popcorn Classic in Valparaiso, Ind., where she promptly earned All-Tournament honors with her family in attendance cheering her on. Saying that sports run in Crawford's family might be a bit of an understatement. Her father, Chris Crawford, was drafted by the MLB's Houston Astros but went on to play for the NBA's Atlanta Hawks from 1997-2004. Her mother, Stacy (Stanton) Crawford, was a two-sport athlete at Indiana State, including earning All-Conference recognition in volleyball. To learn more about Sophie, check out the feature story here!

NORFOLK STATE INVITATIONAL: The Red and White got the 2024 season off to a fast start, going 3-0 at the Norfolk State Invitational. Miami took a 3-0 season-opening win against Lamar University, swept Gardner-Webb 3-0 and secured a 3-1 victory over tournament host Norfolk State. Redshirt junior outside hitter Ava Francis was named the tournament MVP. She finished with 33 kills, an average of 3.30 per set, and also contributed four blocks. She was joined on the All-Tournament Team by redshirt sophomore libero Anna McClure, who totaled 41 digs (4.10 per set) and added nine assists. 

STRONG RETURNS: The Red and White return 12 of 15 players from the 2023 season. Seniors Caroline Cermack, Margo Lawson and Gracie Norris lead a solid veteran group. They are joined by juniors Ellie Hanson, Hayden Hicks, Emily Morgan and Gentry Warrick. The sophomore class is comprised of Raegan Lantz, Breannah Peterson and Chelsea Williams. Also returning is redshirt-junior Brooke Jackson and redshirt-sophomore Amyah Cooper.

FRESH ON THE SCENE: First-year head coach Dan Gwitt welcomes three new assistant coaches, Kristina Fultz, Amanda Chamberlain and Haley Davidson. Nine newcomers have joined the Miami roster as well. These RedHawks include Sophie Crawford, Ava Francis, Karina May, Anna McClure, Tate Mercer, Lydia Michelin, Ana Vetter, Jess Walkenhorst and Micah Wall.

FINDING THEIR FIT: Two of this season's newcomers that will be counted on to make an immediate impact for Gwitt's first Miami team are Power Five transfers: Ava Francis and Anna McClure. Both players join the RedHawks with multiple years of eligibility remaining (two for Francis and three for McClure) and have bought in right away to Gwitt's vision for the program. To learn more about their story, click here!

THE RAEGAN LANTZ STORY: Raegan Lantz knows exactly when she decided she wanted to play volleyball in college. However, getting to this point hasn't been easy for Lantz. That's because her eighth-grade year wasn't just when she decided to pursue a future in collegiate volleyball. Eighth grade was also when Lantz started battling Type 1 diabetes. To learn more about Raegan's story, click here!

GWITT GEARING UP FOR DEBUT SEASON: When the fifth head coach in Miami Volleyball history met his players for the first time in early February to introduce himself, it didn't take long for the RedHawks to get to work. And while it's been a whirlwind for Gwitt since day one, including finalizing a roster, hiring assistant coaches, updating the locker room, building a culture and finishing a schedule, he is ecstatic about where things stand for the program heading into his first season at the helm. Check out the feature story here!

SPECIAL PROGRAM, SPECIAL PLACE: Dan Gwitt was ready to take the next step. After a journey in volleyball that's included playing at Penn State, serving as the youngest Division I head coach in the country at Centenary, excelling as a recruiter and assistant at Indiana and then most recently returning to his alma mater for the past two seasons, Gwitt felt it was time to move on from Happy Valley and be a college head coach again if the right job opened up. Miami University was the perfect opportunity. To catch up on his decision to become the next head coach of the Miami Volleyball team, click here!

GWITT ERA: Miami University Director of Athletics David Sayler announced Dan Gwitt as the fifth head coach in Miami Volleyball history. Gwitt comes to Oxford after serving the past two years as an assistant coach at Penn State, his alma mater. Gwitt was part of back-to-back trips to the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2022 and 2023 and helped sign a top-10 recruiting class in each of his two years on Penn State's staff. The Nittany Lions produced a total of seven All-Big Ten players and two AVCA All-Americans during Gwitt's tenure, finishing with a win-loss record of 49-17 over that span. Gwitt spent the previous four seasons as an assistant coach at Indiana. In his first season with the Hoosiers, the team's defense improved in total blocks from 277th in the nation to 15th and improved its conference record by six wins from the previous campaign. Gwitt coached two All-Big Ten players and also helped ink the top recruiting class in program history, including IU's first-ever Under Armour All-Americans. Gwitt began his coaching career at Centenary College, which was then a Division I program in the Summit League. Gwitt became Centenary's interim head coach in 2007, making him the youngest Division I head coach in the country at the time. He spent three seasons with the Pride, coaching more than 70 matches by the age of 24. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Gwitt served as the director of operations and master coach for two of the largest and most successful clubs in Southern California between 2009 and 2018. He took multiple teams to the Open Division for the Girls Junior National Championships. All of those teams finished in the Division 1 SCVA rankings, including a 17s team that finished as the top ranked team in the SCVA. Originally hailing from Eden, New York, Gwitt graduated from Penn State in 2007 with a degree in communication arts and sciences. During his time as a member of the men's volleyball team under the guidance of current head coach Mark Pavlik, he helped the Nittany Lions clinch the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Championship and make a memorable trip to the NCAA Final Four.

MIAMI BY THE NUMBERS
907    All-Time Wins
401    All-Time MAC Wins
14    NCAA/NIVC Postseason Appearances
12    Regular-Season MAC Titles
12    RedHawk Returners
7    MAC Tournament Titles
9    RedHawk Newcomers
5     Head Coaches All-Time