The men's volleyball team pulled two wins out of a three-match weekend, despite the loss of a starting player.
Head coach Joel Walton said setter David Carlson's back started hurting right before the Cardinals' game against No. 4 Brigham Young Friday at night at the Hall of Fame Tournament at Springfield College.
"He was at a point where his back hurt so much he could barely walk," Walton said.
Although Evan Berg stepped in for Carlson, the change in lineup hurt BSU, Walton said, and the Cougers won the match 3-0 (30-22, 30-27, 30-23).
"It took me a few games to get into my rhythm, and by that time the match was over," Berg said.
The team had a .091 hitting percentage to BYU's .333, which Walton said was mostly because of the change.
"We put Evan out there with very short notice," Walton said. "Our guys got out and fought as much as we could, but we just didn't have any kind of preparation."
Berg managed to find his rhythm Saturday night to help the Cards defeat Springfield College 3-0 (31-29, 30-21, 32-30). Springfield lost on Friday night to Penn State, who beat BYU Saturday night to win the tournament.
Berg was the only Cardinal to be named to the all-tournament team. Luis Castera led BSU in kills with 11 and 16 against the Lions and Springfield, respectively. Nick Meyer had 11 against the Lions and 12 against Springfield.
The team ended the weekend with a hard-fought win against Rutgers on the road, 3-2 (30-26, 30-22, 30-26, 31-29, 18-16). After losing the first game, BSU took control of the second and third games. Rutgers' win in the fourth forced game five.
Meyer ended the game with a team-high 25 kills and a .477 hitting percentage. Castera was close behind with 23 kills and a .255 hitting percentage.
"Luis did a great job attacking, and he's really starting to come into his own on the left side," Walton said.
BSU had a hitting percentage of .309 against Rutgers, the first time this season the Cards have ended a match above .300.
Walton said he does not know when Carlson will be able to play and the team will take it a day at a time.
"To come out of the weekend with two wins, I'm just very happy," he said.
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
