An hour before the end of Ball State's match with Lindenwood, Cardinal fans received the news they had hoped to hear.
Loyola had defeated IPFW 3-1, meaning Ball State had leaped ahead of the latter in the conference standings, locking itself into the fifth seed in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament.
For a team that had been thrown around in every emotional direction this season, it was an accomplishment that could be celebrated.
The team wouldn't receive the message until its own match ended, however.
Until that time, Ball State would finish with one of the worst losses of the season in its regular season finale. Lindenwood, which is in line to join the MIVA for the 2013 season, swept the match 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-22).
Despite the upset, there were excuses for Ball State's surprisingly bad play. Outside attackers Larry Wrather and Jamion Hartley and setter Graham McIlvaine didn't play, and regular starters Kevin Owens, Matt Sutherland and Matt Leske only made brief appearances, likely to rest for the MIVA Tournament next week.
In substitution of over half of the starting lineup, Ball State's backups couldn't keep up with Lindenwood.
Freshman middle attacker Julian Welsh-White came away with the best performance of the group, hitting .300 off four kills to go along with four blocks.
In place of Wrather, freshman David Ryan Vander Meer tallied six kills and hit .158.
Sophomore outside attacker Urim Demirovski played in his only his second match of the season, finishing with two kills and a -.071 attack percentage.
Junior setter Elias Aparcedo rounded out the group of usual backups with 12 assists in two sets of play.
The final score may not have been pretty, but the team's final standing for the MIVA Tournament looked much better.
Ball State is locked into a match at Grand Canyon next week, which is fortunate for the Cardinals considering the alternative. The two teams split the season series in early March, with both matches being held in Arizona.
Grand Canyon swept the first match on March 9, while Ball State came back to win a five-set thriller the next night on March 10.
If Ball State had remained in the sixth seed, it would have played Loyola, which it has lost to twice this season.
Instead, the Cardinals will travel across the country for their first round matchup.
The time of the match between Ball State and Grand Canyon has not yet been announced.
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