When Ball State took on Mount Olive and Barton over the weekend, it was nothing like facing Ohio State or IPFW.
The men’s volleyball team swept both of its weekend opponents. The only competitive sets were the ones where Ball State played its second and third stringers.
But when the team knows it’s facing a D-II team it can easily beat, getting energized isn’t always easy.
“We always try to play with the same level of intensity every night,” Ball State outside attacker Matt Sutherland said. “Sometimes it’s easier to do that against certain opponents.”
Ball State beat Barton 25-14, 25-19 and 26-24. The start of the match had a laid-back feel, and Ball State looked as if it wasn’t giving full effort.
There are no comparisons to the high intensity matches Ball State head coach Joel Walton’s team has played this season.
“Sometimes you’ll see a letdown where we’ll play down to our opponent,” he said. “I was pleased because I didn’t see much of that tonight with so many of our players active.”
Against Barton, Walton was hoping to see his younger players serve well because it had been a practice focus. When he put them into the match and they started serving errors, he said he was slightly disappointed.
He uses these matches as barometers to see how young players are progressing.
Ball State finished with 14 service errors against Barton.
Facing its second Conference Carolina opponent in two nights, Ball State played with increased energy against Mount Olive. Walton played most of his starters through the second set, the exception being when he pulled setter Graham McIlvaine for backup Hiago Garchet.
Ball State played faster and looked more focused. Its 25-9 second set win against Mount Olive was the largest margin of victory Ball State has had all season.
The difference in talent allowed backups to get playing time and to show Walton what they could do in a game rather than practice.
He said he liked what those players showed, while one moment stuck out.
Early in the third set, Mount Olive’s Garrett Dimm was having success serving to the back right corner of Ball State’s defense. After an ace, Walton instructed his team to shift toward that corner for an easier pass receive.
Dimm immediately served another ace, no Ball State players made a play for the ball. A visibly frustrated Walton called timeout.
“They had a server back behind the line that was putting pressure on Jack Lesure,” Walton said. “Jack and the passers didn’t respond well.”
Despite the setback, Ball State’s youth played well. Freshman outside attacker Alex Pia finished the match against Saint Olive with four kills on four attempts. He recorded three more Friday night and hit .667 for the weekend.
Ball State recorded 26.5 blocks over the weekend, fueled by Sutherland who had six blocking assists Saturday night. Despite playing less experienced opponents, Ball State did its best to not overlook them.
“We really didn’t want to play down to their level,” Sutherland said.
The team didn’t have much trouble avoiding that.
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