The Ball State men's volleyball team out-hit, out-dug and out-blocked Grand Canyon on Friday. And it still wasn't enough.
In its second road match of the week, Ball State was swept 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-23) by Grand Canyon to slide further down the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings.
Grand Canyon's (12-8, 3-0) win marked the first time it has defeated Ball State (10-7, 2-4) in seven attempts since the former became a program in 2009 and joined the MIVA in 2010.
Unlike Wednesday's blowout loss to Cal State Northridge, Ball State managed to finish decently in both offense and defense.
The team hit .200 overall and recorded 10 blocks after only recording one two days earlier.
Junior right-side attacker Jamion Hartley tapped into his early season form to hit eight kills on 14 attacks for a .429 attack percentage.
Ball State, however, struggled to remain consistent on offense throughout the match and gave away too many free points with 15 service errors.
Poorer hitting, digging and blocking statistics didn't stop Grand Canyon from taking advantage.
The Antelopes were more effective behind the service line than Ball State, hitting five service aces compared to only seven service errors in the match.
It was enough to push Grand Canyon to the win in the first of two matches this weekend between the teams.
Notably for Ball State, junior setter Elias Aparcedo played for the second time this season, totaling 18 sets and two kills in two sets of play.
Ball State's loss may play a crucial role in the setup of the upcoming MIVA Tournament, set for the end of April. Loyola (3-3) and IPFW's (2-2) conference records put Ball State in second to last in the MIVA, ahead of only winless Quincy (0-6).
Only the top four seeds in the MIVA receive any home matches in the tournament. Ball State currently owns the sixth seed.
Ball State and Grand Canyon will play again today at 6 p.m. (MST) in a rematch Ball State will need to win in order to remain competitive in the conference standings.
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