Although the Cardinals beat Puerto Rico-Mayaguez 3-1 Thursday, head coach Joel Walton seemed more disappointed by his team's letdown in game three than happy about its victory in the match.
After cruising past the Bulldogs 30-22 in game one and managing a 30-26 victory in game two, Ball State's offensive tripped over itself in game three. The Cardinals hit .031, including eight attacking errors and six serving errors, in a 30-20 loss.
The attacking percentage was its second-lowest of the season and the lowest at home. The Cardinals' 20 points were the third-lowest scored this season and also the lowest scored at home.
"After game two I told the team, 'Guys, they're not going to go away. They don't care about those first two games,'" Walton said. "Our offense really fell apart."
Eighth-ranked Ball State (13-2, 6-0 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) has let down in similar fashions all season long. When the Cardinals win games one and two in a match, they are just 4-5 in the third games.
"It's certainly not what we want to do," Walton said. "Where we struggle is just staying within our offensive system and keeping that rhythm from start to finish of a match."
Freshman outside attacker Nick Meyer erred every time he hit the ball in game three, hitting -1.000, the worst possible attack percentage. He said he's also concerned with how the Cardinals have played all season long after winning the first two games.
"Everything seems to break down," Meyer said. "We lower our comfort level, and all the wheels just fall off."
The Cardinals responded to their poor performance with a 30-24 victory in game four to win the match. Mayaguez stayed within three points of Ball State until late in the match, until kills by Meyer and outside attacker Jary Delgado and an ace by outside attacker Evan Berg gave the Cardinals a six-point advantage.
Walton removed Meyer from game three because the team was playing poorly, and he wanted to liven up the Cardinals' offense. Meyer used the benching as inspiration to lead Ball State in game four.
"It gave me a little time to recuperate, refocus and go out there and give it my all," Meyer said.
The difference was clear, as Meyer pounded six kills and hit .363 in the final game. He led the Cardinals with 13 kills on the night.
One of the biggest surprises of the night, Walton said, was the play of Delgado. Delgado, who is from Puerto Rico, said before the match that he wanted to play well against his fellow Puerto Ricans. He finished with nine kills, but hit just .074.
"Tonight Jary wasn't really his ordinary self," Walton said. "He was a little passive tonight where he's normally very aggressive in our big matches. I would have expected the opposite."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
