The Mid-American Conference announced changes to the women’s volleyball regular season format on March 27. One of the significant alterations is the removal of divisions and the introduction of new travel partners for all 12 MAC teams. Each team will play an 18-match league schedule with nine home games and nine away games.
In this new format, each team will face seven opposing programs twice, with three two-game series at home and two on the road. Additionally, each team will also play its designated travel partner both at home and away. For the 2024 season, Ball State’s travel partner will be Miami.
To avoid conflicting home dates for both sports, this new approach to scheduling is designed to be created annually, after the release of the football schedule. The schedule for the 2024 season includes Ball State hosting Bowling Green, Akron, Buffalo, Eastern Michigan, Miami, and Western Michigan on various dates. Their away matches will be held at Central Michigan, Miami, Ohio, Kent State, Northern Illinois, and Toledo throughout the season.
These changes aim to provide a more balanced schedule that allows teams to play against a diverse range of opponents while ensuring that they have an equal number of home and away games. This new format is expected to enhance the competitiveness of the MAC women’s volleyball conference and create more exciting matchups for fans to enjoy.