The Cardinals extended their win streak to five games as they are 8-3 on the season, while the Mastodons suffered their third straight loss and dropped to 4-7 on the season.
Ball State started its last three matches slowly, but that trend was not the case on Feb. 11.
The Cardinals won the first set by a score of 25-23. Sophomore outside attacker Mitch Weiler sealed the win with a kill, giving him five in the first set. He would finish with eight.
“Going in, we wanted to get off to a fast start, especially since we’ve been getting into five sets the past two weekends,” Weiler said.
Head coach Joel Walton was pleased with the team’s effort coming out strong but said there is still work to be done.
“When it got to some of the go times, the really important times late in games one and two, our guys were able to win some points and pull out those games,” Walton said.
Ball State stole the second in another close victory, 25-22. As a unit, it finished with four and half blocks — a game high. Junior outside attacker Mike Scannell led the Cardinals in kills with 10, followed by Weiler with eight and senior outside attacker Marcin Niemczewski with six.
The most dominant Cardinal victory came in the third set, where they started off with the lead and never looked back, winning 25-18 to seal the match.
On the defensive end, freshman libero Adam Wessel once again led the team in digs with 13.
IPFW's campus is an hour away from Muncie, and with the amount of blue inside of Worthen Arena, it was clear that its fans traveled well. Weiler noticed the opposing team's loud cheers but said it was expected since, "it's a big rivalry," and did not bother the Cardinals too much.
Ball State is now 67-29 all time against IPFW and 30-13 at home.
This win put the Cardinals in sole possession of the top spot in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference, but Walton said there is a lot of season left to be played.
“It’s amplified because we're playing at home," Walton said. "But it’s also amplified because we're going to finish our MIVA season when we have to go on the road right at the end of the season,” Walton said.
Ball State will finish its last two conference matches on the road, but for now, it will continue its six-match home stretch hosting the Barton College Bulldogs at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 12 in Worthen Arena.
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