Cardinals celebrate 4 on Senior Night

The Ball State men's volleyball seniors laugh after taking photos for senior night after the game against Loyola on March 28 at Worthen Arena. DN PHOTO ALAINA JAYE HALSEY
The Ball State men's volleyball seniors laugh after taking photos for senior night after the game against Loyola on March 28 at Worthen Arena. DN PHOTO ALAINA JAYE HALSEY

Ball State Volleyball Seniors

Julian Welsh-White - Middle Attacker

Matt Sutherland - Outside Attacker

David Ryan Vander Meer - Libero

Shane Witmer - Outside Attacker


The Ball State men's volleyball team held its Senior Night on March 28, marking the final time the team's four seniors would play in front of the Worthen Arena crowd.

David Ryan Vander Meer, Shane Witmer, Julian Welsh-White and Matt Sutherland celebrated their careers prior to a 3-0 loss to Loyola.

"I'm going to miss these boys; they're my family," Vander Meer said. "But all good things have to come to an end. It's time to move on to the next thing, but I'll miss playing."

Vander Meer saw the most playing time of all the seniors on Senior Night. He led the Cardinals with six digs in the match.

He has seen significant playing time in all of his years at Ball State, making the switch to libero last year and earning First Team All Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association honors.

Witmer and Sutherland have also played a key role since early in their careers. The pair has combined for 285 of the team's 1,012 kills so far this season.

Witmer was an Academic All-MIVA selection each of the last three seasons.

The two outside attackers have complemented each other on the court throughout their careers, and look to stay healthy and help the team compete the rest of the season.

After earning a medical redshirt in 2014, Julian Welsh-White has played in five sets this season with four kills. Welsh-White has one more year of eligibility and can finish his collegiate career at another university.

Welsh-White's biggest impact, however, is being a leader and providing energy on the bench.

"Knowing that Senior Night has already come and gone is surreal," Welsh-White said. "I hope someone will be able to take over and provide the energy the team needs."

At 12-13, Welsh-White, along with the other seniors, will look to help lead the Cardinals to success in the final three regular season matches and in the MIVA Tournament.

After the season, head coach Joel Walton and his team will work to fill the seniors' void with the current young players and incoming recruits.

"Through the graduation of your seniors, you provide opportunities for the younger guys to step in," Walton said. "It's going to be determined by how well they play during the summer and who has that fire burning in their gut."

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