It wasn't pretty at times, but Ball State opened the 2004 season with a win, taking four sets to dispose of Newman, 30-25, 27-30, 30-18, 30-23.
After blowing a nine-point lead in the second game, the Cardinals responded by hitting .476 and .382 in the next two games while limiting the Jets (0-2) to .172 and .167, respectively.
"We're playing some younger players, and (freshman outside attacker and starter) Pat Durbin struggled with his offense," Ball State coach Joel Walton said. "We had errors that gave them points, which was hard to overcome.
"We were able to get momentum in the third set, though. Nick Meyer did a good job playing both the left side and right side"
An 8-2 run, which gave the Cards the lead for good at 20-15, was the difference in the first game. A 6-0 spurt had them up 18-9 in the second, but a series of hitting errors helped Newman score six straight themselves and eventually take the lead. Ball State had 10 errors and hit .190 in the set.
For the third, outside attacker Amitai Sasson and libero Evan Berg, in effect, switched positions. Berg responded with nine kills and hit .667, and the Cardinals never lost control in the final two games.
They built a 21-11 lead in game three, then finished it with a 7-1 run. Five straight points gave them a 12-5 cushion in game four, and the Jets never got closer than three after that.
"It give us our best group of attackers," Walton said of the lineup change. "Amitai was our next best at ball control, so he became the libero. We're going to be experimenting with different lineups, trying to find with what group our team functions best."
Meyer, a sturdy 6-foot-8-inch freshman, tallied 15 kills and hit .344 in his collegiate debut. Jary Delgado led the way with 16 kills. Setter Keith Schunzel dished out 52 assists, served up three aces and recorded five block assists. Zoran Grabovac had six block assists from his middle spot.
"All through the preseason I was playing well," Meyer said. "I was fortunate enough to start, and we came through with the 'W.'"
Ball State continues its opening home stand when it welcomes George Mason Friday and Rutgers on Saturday.
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