When outside attacker Dominic Spadavecchio left the court midway through the second game Saturday, he was not aware he broke a school record and was on the verge breaking another record.
Instead, he said he was happy to be pulled because it meant the No. 14 Ball State University men's volleyball team had a comfortable lead.
After having eight aces in the first game against Quincy University to set the Ball State record for most aces in a conference match, Spadavecchio went to the bench with Ball State leading 13-4 in the second game.
"I don't mind," he said. "We are winning like that, to get more guys in and more playing time is fine with me."
Ball State (14-8, 5-4 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) swept the home match against last-place Quincy 30-19, 30-17, 30-27.
Spadavecchio did not record an ace in the final two games, finishing the match with eight aces. Fernando de Armas previously held the record with seven aces in a five-game MIVA victory against IPFW in 1986.
The performance also tied Spadavecchio for the third-most aces in any Ball State match. The Cardinals' all-time record for most aces is 11. Middle attacker Matt McCarthy and outside attacker Mark Termion both set the program record in a 2006 win against Central State University.
Spadavecchio said he was not upset with coach Joel Walton's decision to remove him from the match. Walton also said it was the right thing to do for his team.
"Guys kept telling me, 'Hey, he has eight service aces, eight service aces.' That wasn't the most important thing [Saturday]," the coach said. "It was more important to work some other people in."
It was the sixth-consecutive match Spadavecchio started at the right outside attacker position. Joining the team as a walk-on in September 2006, he redshirted as a freshman last season and mostly came off the bench as a serving specialist at the beginning of this season.
Never playing at right outside attacker before being inserted into the starting lineup about two weeks ago, Spadavecchio said he is starting to feel comfortable in the new position. He also said his serving ability is of one the main reasons he got a chance to start.
"I've been serving pretty well lately," he said. "I just need to get everything else clicking and I'm good to go."
Seven of Spadavecchio's aces came in two of his three times at the serving line.
Opening the match as Ball State's first server, Spadavecchio had three aces on his first four attempts to help the Cardinals start on a 5-0 run. With Cardinals leading 20-17, he also had four aces in a six-point run to expand the lead to nine.
In the third game, Spadavecchio came off the bench to serve for outside attacker Eric Schulte and had a serving error on his first attempt.
Spadavecchio came back in the match, Walton said, to prevent Schulte from serving after he had two serving errors on two attempts.
Spadavecchio said breaking the record helps improve his serving confidence. The outside attacker also said his serve improved throughout the match.
"I started off hitting some spots and making sure I got the ball in," Spadavecchio said. "I started to feel a little bit better and started to put some velocity behind it."
The win ends Ball State's four match MIVA losing streak, including a five-game loss to Ohio State University on Friday. The Cardinals stayed in third place with one remaining conference regular match.
Despite setting a school record and being three aces away from another record, Spadavecchio said getting the win was the most important thing for him Saturday.
"It would have been cool to get double digits, I have to say," he said. "It is what it is. We got the win."
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