Ball State's seventh-ranked men's volleyball team had three chances for game point in the fourth game during Thursday's NCAA Volleyball Championship semifinal match. Pepperdine, No. 1 ranked, was able to hold on and escape the Cardinals' upset bid. The Waves held on as the Cardinals dropped a 32-30, 19-30, 20-30, 31-33 decision.
"Volleyball is so often a matter of inches and that's exactly what happened tonight in game four," said BSU head coach Joel Walton during a press conference. "We had our chances tonight, and especially in game four, but we just couldn't get it done."
Lasting 2-1, Ball State battled the nation's top-ranked team to the very end. Ball State built a three-point lead half-way through game four after a kill from Josh Zuidema and a Pepperdine mistake.
Pepperdinecame back to tie the game at 25 before First-Team All-American Paul Fasshauer ripped a kill to put Ball State ahead 26-25. The game was tied on three occasions late before Keith Schunzel abandoned a Zuidema pass over his left shoulder to break a 28-28 tie and give BSU its first game-point. Pepperdine replied and the game saw ties at 29, 30 and 31 before Pepperdine blocked a BSU attack and broke out with the 33-31 game and match victory.
"Tonight was tough, but after we look back on the season, the team should be proud of what they were able to do," Walton added.
Fasshauer paced Ball State (23-8) with 13 kills, while Matthew Denmark and Kyle Weindel each added 12. Jary Delgado had a career-high 17 digs.
The Waves (29-4) will play Hawaii, a 3-1 winner over Penn State.
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