The Ball State University men's volleyball team swept No. 11 Lewis University 30-26, 32-30, 34-32 in its conference opener Friday at Worthen Arena
This win ended the Cardinals (1-3, 1-0 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) three-match losing streak to open the season.
Middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic said it was a relief for the team to get its first win, especially against a team predicted to win the conference in the preseason. He also said it was a huge to beat a ranked team after losing to No. 1 Penn State University and No. 6 Stanford University in the last two weeks.
"This was a statement win," Gasparovic said. "People thought our previous performance described us. They never saw us play at our potential and this shows our true potential. We're here to make a statement. We are going to be a force."
Gasparovic had a career best and match-high 15 kills as Ball State out-hit Lewis .311 to .188. The middle attacker also had 4.5 blocks in the win.
Ball State had four players with at least nine kills, including outside attacker Eric Schulte who had 12 kills and match-high 12 digs. This was the second consecutive match Schulte started after missing a majority of the 2008 season because he violated team rules.
Schulte said he felt he was never able to get into an offensive rhythm, but was able to stay on the court because of his defensive performance.
Ball State's next match will be against George Mason University at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Worthen Arena.
For more men's volleyball coverage continue to check bsudailynews.com.
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