Win No. 1Feb. 28, 1964Ball State def. Earlham 15-8, 15-8, 15-4
After being a club team for five seasons, Ball State won its season opener against Earlham in three games. Known then as the Ball State power volleyball team, the Cardinals had eight of its nine starters return from the 1963 team, including Ralph Evans - the 1964 MIVA Most Valuable Player.
Coach Don Shondell said he does not remember a lot about the match because at the time the team was still a club sport. Midway through the 1964 season, the university recognized the program as a varsity sport and retroactively the win against Earlham became Ball State's first official win.
Win No. 25May 9, 1964Ball State def. George Williams 15-10, 15-10
With the MIVA playoffs at Ball State, the Cardinals defeated the three-time defending conference champions George Williams in the championship match.
Coach Don Shondell said George Williams was a great team throughout the 1960s because it was both a varsity and YMCA team and recruited players throughout the country.
"To finally beat George Williams after three years of failure against those guys. To finally get that win, that was a big win."
The win was Ball State's first of 19 MIVA championships. The Cardinals also advanced to the 1964 National Championship Tournament. Shondell said that championship match marked a transition in power with Ball State winning the next four MIVA championships.
"We finally beat them and after that they never beat us again," he said. "We just dominated things. We had such good athletes playing and they were learning how to play the game."
Win No. 60May 1, 1965Ball State def. Ohio State 13-15, 15-8, 15-6, 16-14
In his only season as head coach, Marvin Gray helped lead Ball State to its second consecutive MIVA championship. The Cardinals won the championship match against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
With Shondell taking a one-year sabbatical in 1965, Mick Haley said Gray placed a large amount of responsible on him to be a student coach.
Ball State had three players named to the All-Star Tournament team, including Haley who was also the 1965 MIVA Player of the Year. Now the University of Southern California women's volleyball coach, Haley said the win against Ohio State legitimized men's volleyball as a varsity sport at Ball State.
"It was like we belonged," Haley said. "You had the weight of everyone at Ball State on shoulders. If we went out and lost or acted like fools and not been respectable, people at the university would take shots at us. Being posed and winning, there is nothing that solves problems like winning. The tradition at Ball State has been to win."
Win No. 110April 22, 1967Ball State def. Ohio State 15-9
After splitting their two matches in the conference tournament, Ball State defeated Ohio State in a one-game match to win the MIVA championship.
This was Ball State's only one-game match in its 44-year program history. It was also the second time in three seasons that the Cardinals beat the Buckeyes in the conference championship match.
Prior to losing to Ohio State in the MIVA Tournament, Ball State was undefeated as it finished the regular season 23-0.
Ball State's 1967 all-conference setter Arnie Ball said Ohio State was the team's natural rival throughout his entire college career.
"It was them or us that won the conference," he said. "It was a heated rivalry."
With this win, Ball State advanced to the National Championships in Detroit. Ball, who is in his 29th season as IPFW's head coach, said playing in that tournament was the highlight of his college career.
Win No. 141April 20, 1968Ball State def. George Williams 15-9, 15-6
Outside attacker Tony Musica set the single-match school record for kills as Ball State defeated George Williams in the conference championship match.
Musica finished the match with 26 kills and a .600 attack percentage. The senior also became the fifth Ball State player to be named the MIVA Player of the Year.
This win was Ball State's fifth-consecutive MIVA Tournament championship - a record that has never been matched in the conference's 48-year history.
"This team made it look easy," coach Don Shondell said following the match. "They are the finest group of young men I have ever had the opportunity to coach."
Win No. 223April 18, 1972Ball State def. Ohio State 18-16, 15-12, 15-7
Needing a win to clinch a berth in the 1972 NCAA Tournament, Ball State swept its regular season finale against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
Ball State entered the match one match behind Ohio State for first place after losing to the Buckeyes in Muncie on April 11.In the win, Ball State's Larry Duncan and Dave Schakel each had a match-high nine kills as Ball State out-hit Ohio State .329 to .149.
Thirty-seven years since the match, Schakel - a professor at Texas A&M and a member of the Ball State Hall of Fame - said he still vividly remembered beating Ohio State. He also every season he played, the Cardinals were able to beat the Buckeyes in the big matches.
"After losing to them at home I remember how much we had to beat them," he said. "I just had one of those matches."
With this win, Ball State was able to play in the NCAA Tournament, which was held at Ball State and nationally televised on ABC's "Wide World of Sports."
Win No. 374April 21, 1979Ball State def. Ohio State 15-6, 14-16, 15-10, 9-15, 15-7
Entering its final regular season match with an undefeated conference record, Ball State beat Ohio State in five-games to clinch the MIVA championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
With the score tied at seven in the fifth game, Pete Hanson's kill forced a side-out and gave Ball State the serve. The Cardinals would finish the game on a 8-0 run, which included two aces from Dave Mochalski, to win the MIVA championship.
This also was the last time a team went undefeated in a 14-match MIVA season.
Hanson led Ball State with 21 kills and six blocks. Currently the Ohio State men's volleyball coach, Hanson was one of three Ball State players from the 1979 team to become head coaches at Big Ten schools.
Pete Waite, a freshman during the 1979 match and now Wisconsin's women's volleyball coach, said every time he returns to St. Joe's Arena he always thinks about the matches between Ball State and Ohio State.
"When I walk into that gym I always remember playing there and I can't that about any other Big Ten school."
Win No. 512April 27, 1984Ball State def. Ohio State 10-15, 9-15, 15-13, 15-12, 15-3
Having to play a playoff match after both teams finished the regular season tied, Ball State rallied from a two-game deficit to beat Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.
With the win, Ball State won its first MIVA championship in five seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
After losing the first two games against Ohio State, Ball State overcame a five-point deficit in the third game as Tom Pingel had three aces late in the game. The Cardinals also came back in the fourth game after trailing 12-5.
Outside attacker Chris Dowler said the team had to receive a police escort out of Columbus following the match. The two-time all-conference player also said it was one of the memorable matches in his career.
"It turned into this whole surreal event that you can't replicate," Dowler said. "That still sticks in my mind."
Win No. 603Feb. 11, 1989Ball State def. Penn State 15-9, 14-16, 15-10, 18-16
Despite playing the entire match with food poisoning, outside attacker Chris Beerman set the school record for kills as Ball State beat Penn State in five games.
Beerman finished the match with 44 kills - beating the previous single-match record by 11 kills - to help Ball State win the Golden Dome Tournament.
Entering the match sick because of bad fish he ate earlier in the day, Beerman said he broke the kill record without receiving more than his usual amount of sets. The two-time All-American also said the match was a huge win because Penn State had dominated Ball State in previous seasons.
"It was huge for us in terms of national exposure," Beerman said. "Teams started to look at us and say the best non-West Coast team was Ball State and not Penn State. Back in those days, that was a high standard."
Win No. 641April 21, 1990No. 10 Ball State def. No. 12 IPFW 15-5, 15-3, 15-7
With the Cardinals having a .403 attack percentage, Ball State defeated IPFW in the MIVA championship match to win a third straight conference title.
After finishing the regular season tied with IPFW for first place, setter Chris Cooper said the 1990 championship was the most difficult to win of his three MIVA championships.
"For the first three years were entered as the underdog and that year we were expected to win," he said. "That was really a lot of pressure."
Copper was named the 1990 MIVA Player of the Year. He also became one of two players in program history to be a first-team All-American twice.
Win No. 713April 23, 1994No. 11 Ball State def. No. 6 IPFW 15-4, 15-10, 15-10
In a championship match featuring two future United States Olympians and two Hall of Fame coaches, it was surprise lineup changes that made the biggest difference.
Playing out of position at middle attacker, Greg Romano had a match-high 15 kills to help sweep IPFW in the MIVA championship match.
Romano said coach Don Shondell announcing the change moments before the match surprised IPFW and ruined the Mastodons' game plan. IPFW finished the match with a season-low .082 attack percentage.
This was Ball State's first MIVA championship since 1990. It also prevented IPFW from winning its third championship in four seasons.
Romano, a three-time all-conference selection, said the win was also significant because of the dislike the teams had for each other.
"At that time it was a strong rival," he said. "None of us and none of them were friends."
Win No. 721March 3, 1995No. 15 Ball State def. No. 1 UCLA 15-5, 15-12, 15-11
In what coach Don Shondell called "the greatest win in program history," Ball State swept No. 1 UCLA at the Hall of Fame Tournament in Springfield, Mass.
Outside attacker Todd Reimer had a match-high 22 kills and outside attacker Greg Romano had 17 kills in the Cardinals first win against the Bruins. The 1995 men's volleyball team also remains Ball State's only team to beat an opponent ranked No. 1.
UCLA entered the match winning 39 of its last 42 matches, including a sweep against Ball State in 1994. Middle attacker Phil Eatherton said in an interview last year that with the team's previous matches against UCLA, the Bruins underestimated the Cardinals.
"They weren't expecting us to play as hard as they played," Eatherton said. "In warm-ups they were kind of [goofing] around. The guys were kicking a volleyball around, and it looked like they weren't expecting Ball State to put up a fight."
Win, No. 808Feb. 16, 1999Ball State def. No. 4 IPFW 5-15, 15-10, 14-16, 15-12, 15-7
Middle attacker Jason Fehr had two kills and one ace for the final three points in the fifth game as Ball State beat the undefeated IPFW team at then-University Arena.
Coach Joel Walton said following the match that the entire team and himself were ecstatic as they stormed the court in celebration.
"I screamed for about 15 seconds and then I felt like I was going to pass out," Walton said. "I stopped screaming at that moment and looked for somebody to grab hold of."
This win marks the highest-ranked team Walton defeated in his 11 years as Ball State's head coach.
The Cardinals finished the season 13-14 - one of its four losing seasons in program history - with 12 losses against nationally ranked teams.
Win No. 855Jan. 12, 2002Ball State def. Long Beach State 30-27, 26-30, 33-31, 30-24
Playing its first home match against a West Coast school in two years, Ball State defeated Long Beach State in its second match of the season.
After losing the second game, Ball State overcame deficits in the final two games - including forcing overtime in game three - to the match.
Middle attacker Matt Denmark said beating Long Beach State was one of his most memorable wins during his career. Now playing professional volleyball in Greece, Denmark also said the win was significant because of the West Coast-Midwest rivalry.
"It was such a contention between us on which conference is better," Denmark said. "None of them would come out here and play us. I felt at the time of my junior year the MIVA was good. I know if we finally got a chance to play those teams away from their gyms we could win."
Win No. 877April 27, 2002No. 8 Ball State def. No. 9 Loyola 30-17, 30-27, 30-19
For the final time in its program history, Ball State won the MIVA title and advanced the NCAA Tournament as it swept Loyola in the conference championship match.
With the MIVA Tournament being played at Worthen Arena, setter Keith Schunzel said the team expected to win because of how they played at home. Ball State finished the season with a 16-0 home record -ยก- its best record in the last 15 years - including a four-game win against Lewis in the semi-finals.
Currently an assistant coach at Indiana University-Bloomington, Schunzel said after beating Lewis, the team was not worried about losing the championship match.
"At that point we were playing so well we knew we were going to win," he said. "It wasn't close. We controlled that match."
Win No. 939Jan. 14, 2006No. 14 Ball State def. No. 6 Penn State 32-30, 30-28, 30-28
Starting his first college match, middle attacker Matt McCarthy had 12 kills as Ball State swept Penn State in University Park, Pa.
McCarthy also led Ball State with five blocks, and outside attacker Patrick Durbin had a match-high 16 kills.
This is the only time the Cardinals have defeated the Nittany Lions in the last five season. It was also the last time the defending NCAA Champions Penn State have lost a regular season home match.
"I didn't even hit me until a year or two later that Penn State was a great team," McCarthy said. "I didn't really know. I didn't even know if I was going to be playing and then I was starting. ...I was just clueless, but now looking back it was special."
Win No. 988March 1, 2008No. 14 Ball State def. No. 7 UCLA 30-21, 30-26, 30-24
Playing in front of a then-Worthen Arena volleyball record 3,572 people, Ball State swept UCLA for its second consecutive win against the Bruins during the weekend.
Entering the two-match series in the Don Shondell Challenge, Ball State was 1-22 against UCLA, with its only win occurring in 1995. This was also the first time UCLA had traveled to the Midwest to play a regular season match since 1994.
Outside attacker Marcus Imwalle had the team-high in kills during matches, including a match-high 12 kills in the final match.
Libero Ian Peckler, who graduated in May and is a women's volleyball assistant coach at Lake Forest College, said beating UCLA twice was one of his most memorable experiences at Ball State.
Win No. 1,000Feb. 13, 2009Ball State def. Milwaukee School of Engineering 30-13, 30-25, 30-23
With a majority of the starters only playing in the first game, Ball State swept the Division III team at Worthen Arena for its 1,000th all-time win.
Outside attacker Lee Meyer - the younger brother of Ball State's career kills leader during the rally scoring era Nick Meyer - had the match-winning kill in front of 816 people in attendance.
"You could tell that people came out to support the program, not just this year's team, but to honor all of the great things that Ball State men's volleyball has done for Muncie and Ball State," coach Joel Walton said.
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