MUNCIE, Ind. — Even though the regular season is still a week away, that shouldn’t stop fans of the Ball State women’s volleyball team from seeing their Cardinals in action Saturday when the team hosts Indiana State for an exhibition match at Worthen Arena at 2 p.m.

Not only will this be the first official opportunity to see the 2024 Cardinals in action, but it will also be the first game on the program’s new Taraflax pitch, which was unveiled Friday morning.

Admission to the game is $10 for adults and $5 for fans in sixth grade or younger.

Want to see more of the action? Season tickets ($54 for women or $89 for men and women) and the Volley Cards Kids Club packages ($30) are still available.

Since Saturday’s competition is an exhibition match, no live videos or live statistics will be available.

The Cardinals return two of three First Team All-MAC selections from last year, in Senior Setter Megan Wielonski and redshirt sophomore out Aniya KennedyA total of 11 players return from last year’s squad, which competed in the postseason for the fifth time in six years and secured a spot in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).

Ball State won its NIVC opener at host Middle Tennessee and finished the 2023 season with a 17-15 overall record and a 13-5 record in the Mid-American Conference.

Indiana State boasts one of the youngest rosters in the Missouri Valley Conference for the second straight year, with 13 of the 17 players being freshmen or sophomores. Last season, the Sycamores posted an overall record of 5-23, including an MVC record of 3-15.

Following Saturday’s exhibition game, the Ball State women’s volleyball team will open the 2024 season on Friday, August 30, when it faces both Seton Hall (10 a.m.) and Bryant (4:30 p.m.) in the Florida Atlantic Invitational.