21 Morgan Ballard
21 Morgan Ballard
Height: 5-6
Year: Senior
Hometown: Weaverville, N.C.
High School: North Buncombe
Previous College: Wofford
Position: L
m 36
k/s 0.03
h % .038
a/s 0.90
b/s 0.00
sa/s 0.37
d/s 6.13
* 2019 NCAA All-Southeast Region Tournament Team
* 2019 D2CCA Second-Team All-Southeast Region 
* 2019 SAC All-Tournament Team
* 2019 Second-Team All-SAC
* 2019 Preseason First-Team All-SAC
* 2018 AVCA First-Team All-Southeast Region
* 2018 D2CCA Second-Team All-Southeast Region 
* 2018 First-Team All-SAC 
* 2018 Preseason First-Team All-SAC
* 2017 NCAA All-Southeast Region Tournament Team
* 2017 AVCA Honorable Mention All-Southeast Region
* 2017 D2CCA Second-Team All-Region
* 2017 First-Team All-SAC
* SAC Specialist of the Week – Sept. 12, 2017
 

2019 (Senior): One of the most decorated players in the history of the program, Ballard became the first player in C-N history to earn an all-region honor in three different seasons being named a second-team All-Region selection as a senior… The Weaverville, N.C. native was named All-South Atlantic Conference three times in her career and earned SAC All-Tournament team honors this year… The libero became the first Eagle to be on top two All-SAC teams three straight seasons since Carly Mozgai accomplished the feat from 2008-10 becoming the fifth player to do so… Ballard finishes her career second all-time in digs with 2,375, while holding the career record by over a dig with 6.84 digs per set… The senior has three of the top four seasons in total digs and digs per set… She reset her own SAC record for digs in a three-set match in the SAC title match posting 40, good for the second-most in NCAA Division II history… She led the country in total digs with 772 and was fourth in digs per set at 6.13… Finished her career with a streak of 62 straight double-digit kill outings… In 96 career contests, led the team in digs 89 times… Over three matches in the Southeast Region Tournament, Ballard posted 74 scoops.

2018 (Junior): The junior took her game up a notch in 2018 garnering all-region honors from the AVCA and D2CCA. Of the nine individuals to earn all-region honors in C-N history, Ballard joins Nikki James as the only Eagles to be on a list twice in their careers. The first-team All-South Atlantic Conference selection made the top league squad for the second consecutive campaign becoming the sixth player in program history to be on the top team twice in a career and first since Katie Troyer did so in 2008 and 2009. The Weaverville, N.C. native finish the year with 784 digs and 7.61 digs per set to rank among the nation’s best. The total digs were good for third in school history while she became the first Eagle to post at least seven scoops per set. She recorded her third-career 50-dig night with 51 against the Bears on Oct. 5, the second-most in a Division II match this year. The Eagles picked up a win in five frames as the team racked up a season-high 129 digs. Bloomsburg’s Alyssa Cianciulli had 52 in four sets against West Virginia Wesleyan on Sept. 8. Ballard tallied her 1,000th dig for her career, including her time at Wofford (106), in a five-set loss to Lander on Sept. 7, 2018. In the third set against Coker on Sept. 22, 2018, the junior picked up her 1,000th scoop at C-N. 

2017 (Sophomore): Ballard became the first Carson-Newman libero to be named first-team All-South Atlantic Conference since 2005…Collected a laundry list of honors in her first season at Mossy Creek being named second-team all-region by D2CCA, honorable mention all-region by the AVCA and picking up a nod on the NCAA All-Southeast Region Tournament team…In 118 sets, Ballard posted the best digs per set in program history with 6.94 besting Blaire Young’s 6.79 mark in 2004 as one of three players in the history of the school to finish with at least six scoops per set. The sophomore racked up 819 total digs to finish behind Young’s 856 from 2004 for second-most in the 29 years of volleyball at Carson-Newman… Tallied a conference record 58 digs in a four-set victory over Mars Hill on Sept. 9, 2017 and the 10th-most in the history of NCAA volleyball. The previous league mark was set by Catawba’s Jenny Young of 55 versus Tusculum on Sept. 17, 2011 in a five-set outing. Caitlyn Dean held the mark for a SAC athlete in a four-set affair when she racked up 47 for the Pioneers against Anderson (S.C.) on Oct. 27, 2012. After recording 53 versus Augusta Oct. 14, the sophomore had three of the top six dig efforts in Division II in 2017.

2016 (Freshman at Wofford): Played in 31 of the team's 32 matches racking up 91 total sets played...Posted 1.16 digs per set as a rookie, 106 overall, and eight service aces...Racked up a season-high 10 scoops on four occasions, most recently against The Citadel on Nov. 15...Registered a season-high three service aces against Chattanooga on Nov. 4...Tallied a kill against High Point on Sept. 17 and The Citadel on Nov. 15.

HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year starter and two-year team captain for North Buncombe High School, near Asheville, N.C...Amassed a school-record 1,865 career digs...Named North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 3A/4A Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year as a junior in 2014...Landed NCHSAA Performance of the Week honors and was twice named Scholar Athlete of the Week as a senior...Honorable mention all-conference honors as a freshman and sophomore...On the club circuit, played for Upward Stars in Spartanburg...Led her team to the U17 Premier Team Division AAU Girls’ Junior National Volleyball Championship in June of 2015...Earned AAU All-American honors...A/B Honors student through her high school career and was twice named Scholar Athlete of the Week.

Personal: Born Jan. 12, 1998 in Asheville, N.C...Daughter of Timothy and Wendy Ballard...Grandfather, Richard Smith, played football at South Carolina...Undecided on a major, but is interested in psychology.

Recent Games
Nov 22 vs. #24 Wingate W, 3-1
Nov 23 vs. Queens (N.C.) W, 3-0
Dec 5 vs. Anderson (S.C.) W, 3-0
Dec 6 vs. Flagler W, 3-1
Dec 7 vs. Augusta W, 3-0
Dec 12 vs. Rockhurst L, 3-0
Statistics category Overall Conf
Matches 36 22
Sets 126 76
Kills 4 2
Kills per set 0.03 0.03
Errors 3 2
Total Attacks 26 15
Hitting Percentage .038 .000
Assists 114 60
Assists per set 0.90 0.79
Service Aces 46 26
Service Errors 60 32
Service Aces per set 0.37 0.34
Receptions 438 267
Reception Errors 20 9
Digs 772 452
Digs per set 6.13 5.95
Block Solo 0 0
Block Assist 0 0
Block Total 0 0
Blocks per set 0.00 0.00
Block Errors 0 0
Ball Handling Errors 0 0
Points 50.0 28.0
Points per set 0.4 0.4
Matches started 1 -
Date Opponent Score ms s k e ta pct a sa se r re digs bs ba be tot bhe pts
Sep 6 vs. King (Tenn.) W, 3-1 - 4 1 1 4 .000 5 2 1 21 2 28 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Sep 6 at USC Aiken L, 3-1 - 4 1 0 3 .333 4 0 2 19 0 21 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Sep 7 vs. Emmanuel (Ga.) W, 3-2 - 5 0 0 1 .000 0 3 3 11 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Sep 13 Virginia-Wise W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 3 1 2 20 0 17 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Sep 14 Tusculum W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 1 .000 3 3 2 13 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Sep 17 at Mars Hill L, 3-1 - 4 0 1 4 -.250 7 0 2 23 0 28 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Sep 20 at Anderson (S.C.) L, 3-2 - 5 0 0 1 .000 4 3 1 16 1 36 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Sep 21 at Newberry W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 1 0 0 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Sep 24 Lincoln Memorial W, 3-0 - 3 0 1 1 -1.000 1 2 1 5 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Sep 27 at Coker W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 3 1 0 12 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Sep 28 at #24 Wingate L, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 0 1 1 9 1 13 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 4 Queens (N.C.) L, 3-2 - 5 1 0 1 1.000 5 0 2 19 0 30 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 5 Catawba W, 3-0 - 2 0 0 0 - 1 1 3 7 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 11 Georgia College W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 1 .000 0 2 3 4 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Oct 11 USC Aiken W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 2 .000 1 1 3 5 0 11 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 12 Augusta W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 7 0 3 15 0 21 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Oct 12 Lander W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 2 3 2 12 3 21 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Oct 18 Coker W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 2 1 3 7 1 11 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 19 #22 Wingate W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 1 .000 5 0 0 12 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Oct 22 at Lincoln Memorial W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 2 .000 2 1 0 8 0 19 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Oct 25 Anderson (S.C.) L, 3-2 - 5 0 0 0 - 2 3 2 14 2 36 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Oct 26 Newberry W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 4 2 0 3 0 13 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Oct 29 at Lenoir-Rhyne W, 3-0 - 3 1 0 1 1.000 1 0 2 11 1 16 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Nov 1 at Virginia-Wise W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 1 .000 2 1 3 11 0 23 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Nov 2 at Tusculum W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 3 2 1 24 1 23 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Nov 5 Mars Hill W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 2 .000 5 0 1 4 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Nov 9 Lenoir-Rhyne W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 3 1 1 13 0 28 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Nov 15 at Queens (N.C.) L, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 2 2 3 11 0 33 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Nov 16 at Catawba W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 1 1 2 9 0 15 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Nov 19 Mars Hill W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 5 2 2 9 1 21 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
Nov 22 vs. #24 Wingate W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 4 1 4 11 2 33 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Nov 23 vs. Queens (N.C.) W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 8 0 1 12 0 40 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Dec 5 vs. Anderson (S.C.) W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 2 1 0 13 0 26 0 0 0 0 0 1.0
Dec 6 vs. Flagler W, 3-1 - 4 0 0 0 - 6 0 1 10 0 28 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
Dec 7 vs. Augusta W, 3-0 - 3 0 0 0 - 3 3 2 12 2 20 0 0 0 0 0 3.0
Dec 12 vs. Rockhurst L, 3-0 1 3 0 0 0 - 7 2 1 17 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 2.0
  m s k k/s e ta pct a a/s sa sa/s r re digs d/s bs ba tot b/s pts pts/s
2017-18 32 118 2 0.02 2 26 .000 80 0.68 20 0.17 469 31 819 6.94 0 0 0 0.00 22.0 0.2
2018-19 28 103 2 0.02 0 20 .100 96 0.93 33 0.32 364 15 784 7.61 0 0 0 0.00 35.0 0.3
2019-20 36 126 4 0.03 3 26 .038 114 0.90 46 0.37 438 20 772 6.13 0 0 0 0.00 50.0 0.4
Total 96 347 8 0.02 5 72 .042 290 0.84 99 0.29 1271 66 2375 6.84 0 0 0 0.00 107.0 0.3
  m s k k/s e ta pct a a/s sa sa/s r re digs d/s bs ba tot b/s pts pts/s
Total 36 126 4 0.03 3 26 .038 114 0.90 46 0.37 438 20 772 6.13 0 0 0 0.00 50.0 0.4
Conference 22 76 2 0.03 2 15 .000 60 0.79 26 0.34 267 9 452 5.95 0 0 0 0.00 28.0 0.4
Exhibition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-
Home 16 55 1 0.02 1 9 .000 49 0.89 22 0.40 162 9 303 5.51 0 0 0 0.00 23.0 0.4
Away 12 42 2 0.05 1 12 .083 30 0.71 12 0.29 169 4 259 6.17 0 0 0 0.00 14.0 0.3
Neutral 8 29 1 0.03 1 5 .000 35 1.21 12 0.41 107 7 210 7.24 0 0 0 0.00 13.0 0.4
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Wins 28 94 2 0.02 2 17 .000 83 0.88 35 0.37 310 15 565 6.01 0 0 0 0.00 37.0 0.4
Losses 8 32 2 0.06 1 9 .111 31 0.97 11 0.34 128 5 207 6.47 0 0 0 0.00 13.0 0.4
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September 11 41 2 0.05 3 15 -.067 31 0.76 16 0.39 165 4 234 5.71 0 0 0 0.00 18.0 0.4
October 12 42 2 0.05 0 8 .250 32 0.76 14 0.33 117 9 213 5.07 0 0 0 0.00 16.0 0.4
November 9 30 0 0.00 0 3 .000 33 1.10 10 0.33 104 4 241 8.03 0 0 0 0.00 10.0 0.3
December 4 13 0 0.00 0 0 - 18 1.38 6 0.46 52 3 84 6.46 0 0 0 0.00 6.0 0.5