Ball State women’s volleyball is ready to welcome transfer Havyn Gates to the program the head coach Kelli Miller Phillips disclosed. Gates is a Muncie native and former Wapahani High School standout. She joins the Cardinals after playing the last two seasons at Indiana Wesleyan University where she was the 2020 Crossroads League Libero of the Year.
Not only Gates has secured libero of the year honors, but she was also selected to the All-Crossroads League First Team after completing the 2020 season with 404 digs and a 4.81 digs-per-set average. She performed in all 24 matches, assisting in guiding the Wildcats to a 21-3 (12-1 CL) record and a No. 11 rankings in the final NAIA Women‘s Volleyball Coaches Top 25 Poll.
Head Coach Kelli Miller took to Twitter and welcomes Gates. She wrote: “She’s quick, digs a ton of balls, and is a fearless competitor. She will add great depth to our backcourt, and I can’t wait to get her in the gym.”
Furthermore, Gates also placed 11th among all NAIA players with 720 digs as a freshman in 2019. She was chosen as the NAIA Tournament Most Outstanding Defensive Player after gathering a career-high 42 digs in a four-set win over Grand View (Iowa) to assist send her IWU squad to the quarterfinals of the 2019 NAIA Volleyball National Championship.