The Ball State men's volleyball team finally showed up to court halfway through its win Saturday against Mercyhurst in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association quarterfinals.
BSU got off to a slow start in its 3-1 win (26-30, 31-29, 30-18, 30-22) at John E. Worthen Arena, showing the apathy that head coach Joel Walton said had plagued the team during practice all week.
The Cardinals' defense allowed Mercyhurst to take control in the first game, while the offense also struggled.
Several injuries forced the Cards to change their starting lineup, adding to the Cards' offensive problems. Evan Berg, who normally plays at outside attacker, moved to the libero position because a sore knee kept him from jumping. Middle attacker Scott Bushong sat the game out because of a sprained ankle, and outside attacker Nick Meyer, who started, was still recovering from a sprained ankle.
"[Injuries] shouldn't really matter," Zoran Grabovac said. "There comes a point when the team has to depend on each other. We all have to be leaders and step up."
Mercyhurst made nine service errors in the first game, allowing the Cards to stay close. However, the Lakers took the game with a kill by Dave Shmidl.
Despite continued problems, Ball State managed to stay tied or a point behind the Lakers in the first half of the second game. Meyer scored a kill to give the Cards the lead at 17-16, but the Lakers soon battled back. Another kill by Meyer brought the Cards a 29-26 lead. A rotation error and a service ace from Mercyhurst almost cost Ball State the game, but the team hung on for the win.
Ball State came out looking like a different team in the third game, after what Walton said was a "tongue lashing."
"I think Joel's speech got us up," Meyer said. "He said get our butts in gear or we're out."
Two kills each by middle attackers Andrew Braley and Grabovac helped BSU quickly take a 10-4 lead. The Lakers never got within 6 points of the Cards, and a 7-point run, with two aces in a row by Arturo Rivera, helped Ball State earn a win.
BSU's offense started to break down again at the beginning of the fourth game. The Cards committed five errors in the row to give the Lakers the lead 5-0. Although the team dropped to 6-point deficit at 8-2, the team fought back. Grabovac slammed a kill to give the Cards a lead at 17-16, and they never looked back.
Meyer, who made four errors in the first game, went on to lead the Cards in kills with 22 and committed only one more error throughout the last three games. Grabovac added nine kills and had two solo blocks and seven block assists. Luis Castera and Braley added eight and six kills, respectively. BSU outblocked the Lakers 13 to 12 and outdug them 29 to 24. Mercyhurst ended the match with four aces to 28 service errors, while the Cards had seven aces to eight service errors.
Ball State will face off against Ohio State in the MIVA semifinals at Loyola Friday.
Walton said he would try a new tactic to try and prevent another slow start when the Cards play the Buckeyes.
"I think I'm going to yell at the guys in the locker room before the game, get their blood pumped up," he said, "so they understand how important that game is."
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