After having less practice time in the previous week because of the ice storm that hit East Central Indiana last week, the Ball State volleyball team fought off Newman for a 3-1 win in Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (2-0) were in a dog fight for much of each game, before being able to pull away in game four for a 30-21 win.
Coach Joel Walton said he still considered the team short on practice time after last week's storm.
"We still haven't had a normal week, which is three to four practices where we have specific things to work on," he said. "We showed some good signs tonight, but there's still a lot of areas we need to improve."
Ball State pulled away in game one after leading 14-13, and built it to a 30-23 win.
The Cardinals are still too inconsistent, Walton said, and are still making too many errors.
"Early on, we were giving up opportunities for points, and we can't afford to do that, especially against better competition," he said.
After losing game two, 30-28, the Cardinals battled to take a 15-9 advantage in game three. Newman (0-1) fought back and eventually tied the game, 18-18, but the Cardinals regained momentum after Zoran Grabovac slammed a big kill to hang on for a 30-26 win.
Walton cited Luis Castera for finishing with nine kills and 12 digs, but had nine errors. Walton also was pleased to see Andrew Braley finish with 11 kills on 17 swings, finishing with a .647 hit percentage. Evan Berg finished with 11 digs.
The Cardinals had a decisive advantage in the middle, with Grabovoc (seven kills, .455) hitting what Walton called "thunderous balls."
Ball State pulled away after being tied 11-11 in the fourth game, and cruised to its easiest game of the night, 30-21. The Cardinals finished with an attack percentage of .260, and had eight team blocks to Newman's five.
Walton said the team is working on a different defensive scheme than it normally plays in order to get ready for conference rival Lewis next Tuesday.
"We're changing how we block and where our diggers are positioned on the court trying to get ready for those guys," he said. "It may not have been the best scheme for Newman."
Grabovac finished with five blocks, and Nick Meyer added four.
The Cardinals return to action on Friday against Carthage in Worthen Arena. Game time is at 7 p.m.
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