Good hitting and strong play from outside attacker Jary Delgado powered the men's volleyball team to two home victories over conference opponents this weekend.
Eighth-ranked Ball State beat Ohio State 3-1 Friday on the strength of Delgado's 22 kills. Saturday, the Cardinals pounded Quincy in a 3-0 victory.
The pair of triumphs kept the Cards (12-2, 6-0 MIVA) undefeated in conference play and in first place of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
"I feel really good about our record and how our team is playing right now," head coach Joel Walton said. "Getting Ohio State at home, that's a good early win for us."
Walton has emphasized winning home games early in the season because the Cardinals finish the season with six of nine conference games on the road. The win against Ohio State was big, he said, because the Buckeyes are one of the top five teams in the MIVA.
Against the Buckeyes, Ball State won the first two games 30-27 and 30-23. The Cardinals built a four-point lead in game three, but Ohio State came back to win 30-26. The Buckeyes tried hard to force a fifth game, but Ball State eventually prevailed 31-29 in game four to win the match.
"They kind of got momentum and really turned things around," Walton said about the Buckeyes in game three. "It got pretty ugly in the fourth game and we did just enough to win it in the end."
Along with Delgado's 22 kills, three other Cardinals slammed double-figure kills. Middle attacker Zoran Grabovac killed a season-high 15 balls, while outside attackers Nick Meyer and Evan Berg knocked down 14 each.
In the Cardinals' first few weekends of conference play, the team has struggled with lesser teams on the second night of action. Because of the troubles, Walton was wary of a let down against Quincy. However, the team got out quickly against Quincy, topping the Hawks 30-22 in game one.
Middle attacker Andrew Braley pounded six kills while hitting .714 in the first game. As a team, the Cardinals hit .438 and held Quincy to a .121 attacking percentage.
Ball State won game two 30-18 thanks to Meyer's five kills and a .667 attacking percentage, but let up in game three. It was close throughout, with the Cardinals trailing as late as 24-25. Delgado stepped up though, nailing three big kills in the game's final four points to win the match.
"I'd rather see us playing our strongest at the end of a match instead of seemingly losing our focus and letting teams make a run back at us," Walton said.
Delgado started slow against Quincy, but finished with 10 kills, five in the third and final game. He too expressed concerns with the way the Cardinals have finished matches.
"It seems like every time we win two games in a row, we just relax, and that's when we struggle," Delgado said. "Everytime that happens I try to let the guys know that we're not done and try to play good everytime."
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