Chicago – For two months No. 9 Ball State had brazenly beaten all of its competition, the latest coming on Saturday. But Wednesday night at No. 11 Loyola, it couldn’t have felt further away from victory.
Loyola downed Ball State 3-1 (25-16, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21), and controlled the match for nearly the entire night. The No. 2 seeded Ramblers kept the No. 3 Cardinals disjointed and out of system.
The discombobulated look came at the worst time for Ball State, as its first loss in 14 tries, knocked it out of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament.
The Gentile Arena continued to play adversary to Ball State, as the Cardinals still have yet to win there in four tries, and have not won at Loyola since 1999.
Ball State still has a chance for an at-large bid to the Final Four, but IPFW in 1994 is the only non-West Coast team to garner one.
MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Ball State falls in MIVA semifinals
Seniors Jamion Hartley and Matt Leske block a ball during the game against Lindenwood on Feb. 2, 2013 in Worthen Arena. Ball State dropped the semi-finals game of the MIVA against Loyola on April 24. DN FILE PHOTO JORDAN HUFFER
