The men's volleyball team remained perfect in the conference this weekend by beating one of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's top contenders and one of its worst teams.
The No. 9 Cardinals (10-2, 4-0 MIVA) beat IPFW in a surprisingly lopsided victory Friday, 35-33, 30-20, 30-22. The team then traveled to Erie, Pa. and won a surprisingly tough match Saturday against Mercyhurst, 26-30, 30-27, 30-19, 30-19.
The victory at Mercyhurst gave head coach Joel Walton his 100th career victory, all at Ball State.
At IPFW the Cardinals played before a crowd of almost 2,000. Game one went back and forth and eventually went to extra points before Ball State won it 35-33. The Cardinals hit .400 in the game.
"We really took the wind out of their sails by winning that first game," Walton said.
Ball State went on to win games two and three by wide margins -- 30-20 and 30-22. The Cardinals were up 16-4 at one point in the third game.
"Everybody on the team played well within their role," Walton said. "We were able to play consistently enough to win in three straight. We didn't give IPFW that chance to come back at us."
Sophomore middle attacker Zoran Grabovac had a big game for the Cardinals, slamming 14 kills with a .545 attack percentage. He also added 3.5 blocks. Ball State hit .353 in the match while holding the Mastadons to .189.
The victory was big because it was on the road. Walton has said since the beginning of the season that the MIVA Championship will go to the team who wins the most conference matches on the road.
After the big performance in Fort Wayne, Walton said his team let down a little against Mercyhurst. The Lakers won game one and got ahead 22-15 in game two before Ball State reeled off three straight victories to take the match. Prior to Saturday, Mercyhurst hadn't won a single game, much less a match, in MIVA play.
"We didn't start off playing very well," Walton said. "We didn't have a lot of energy. We were frustrated early on with how we were playing."
The Cardinals used that frustration to lay into Mercyhurst in the final two games. They held the Lakers to 19 points in games three and four, while hitting .406 and .619, respectively.
Senior setter Keith Schunzel had a good, all-around performance against the Lakers, knocking eight kills, hitting .667, blocking three shots and serving an ace.
"When we needed someone to step up and lead us in game two, Keith did that," Walton said. "He got us back going in the right direction. He really re-energized the team and, in the process, demoralized Mercyhurst."
Walton said he and his players were excited about his 100th victory. Before practice Monday, Walton is going to let his players give him a buzz cut to celebrate. He said the idea came from his kids, who tease him about the bald spot he's developing on the back of his head.
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