The No. 14 Ball State University men's volleyball team looks to tame the No. 6 Nittany Lions Saturday as they travel to Penn State University. The two teams met in the preseason with Ball State losing a tough, hard-fought match in five games.
"I think our team is capable of playing with anyone in the country, but yet we have to go show that this weekend," head coach Joel Walton said.
Ball State and Penn State previously met Jan. 21, 2005, here in Worthen Arena. On that day Penn State beat Ball State in five games (30-28, 30-21, 25-30, 23-30, 23-25).
Ball State has gained some familiarity with Penn State. They have the same setter, same opposite attacker, and one middle attacker that have been there the last three years.
"It's a very experienced team," Walton said. "Yet the advantage we have is that we know what their offensive system is that and how they attack the ball."
One of the side notes to Tuesday's victory was freshman Matt McCarthy. McCarthy had the same number of blocks (4) as senior Evan Berg, and junior Nick Meyer, and is looking forward to Saturday's powerhouse matchup.
"I just try to bring a good work ethic to practice and compete hard," McCarthy said. "I'm definitely very excited. We lost to Penn State in the preseason in five games, so it's going to be a tough match, but we're going to have to play hard."
Following Saturday night's marquee match, the Cardinals look next to St. Francis on Sunday at 2 p.m. "St. Francis is a good team," Walton said. "They are a team that could begin to vie for East Coast championships. They are a team that can compete with us."
In order to be consistent, Walton wants the team to control their serving. It needs to be a balance of slow and fast serves.
"You have to serve in time and time again," Walton said. "What we want out of our guys is the first ball they serve to be the same as the last ball they serve. It helps with rhythm and builds consistency."
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
