It was a match in which Ball State would not be denied.
Even after Quincy easily took a victory in the first set with the help of attack and service errors by Ball State, the Cardinals faced adversity head on.
Ball State (8-6, 3-3 in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) went on to take the next four games and win its second match of the weekend against Quincy 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-20).
"I was pleased to see that after not playing well in game one, and probably feeling a bit of pressure for the rest of the match, our guys did a nice job of responding," coach Joel Walton said.
Veterans J.D. Gasparovic and Lee Meyer saw extended time in the match after sitting out Friday's match against Quincy. Meyer hit seven kills in four sets of play, while Gasparovic had eight kills on 11 attempts for a .636 attack percentage.
"I thought both of those guys did a nice job off the bench," Walton said. "There is depth with this team. I had a couple players not play well tonight, and then some guys off the bench came in and picked up the team."
Gasparovic was one match removed from not starting for the first time since January 2008. While he didn't start for the second match in a row, the senior middle attacker made the most of his opportunity in three games of play.
"J.D. did a nice job offensively," Walton said. "I thought Lee passed very well. He was one of the reasons why our offense started to click, because we were getting good passes from Lee up to target."
Sophomore Dan Wichmann started his second game in a row for the Cardinals at setter. He tallied 35 assists on the night.
While Wichmann replaced freshman Graham McIlvaine at setter for both matches this weekend, Walton said the spot is still up for grabs.
"We've got a bit of a competition going," he said. "I think Dan is going to keep getting opportunities, and I think Graham needs to stay ready. Both of them are capable setters who are able to get out and run our team's offense at a high level."
Anders Nelson and Greg each had nine kills to lead the team, while Larry Wrather added seven kills as well. Wrather also led the Cardinals with seven digs.
Ball State will play in its final two matches of a six-game home stand next weekend, as it faces rematches against George Mason on Saturday and Sacred Heart on March 6.
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