Friday was the second time in three weeks that Ball State (10-8, 2-4 MAC) and the Toledo Rockets (11-5, 3-2 MAC) matched up. The Rockets took the first match on March 11 by a score of 4-3. The Cardinals were looking to make some adjustments and pick up a quality road win. After losing once again by the same score to the same team, it’s another close match that the team let slip away.
Ball State (14-3, 3-1 MAC) is in a different position than in previous years. After losing last Sunday against conference-rival Toledo, the Cardinals no longer own the top spot in the conference standings. This week was all about how the team would respond to adversity. After a sweep of the Northern Illinois Huskies (11-11, 1-3 MAC) Friday, the Cardinals’ focus is reset as the conference season heads towards the home stretch.
This week was all about how the team would respond to adversity. After a sweep of the Northern Illinois Huskies (11-11, 1-3 MAC) Friday, the Cardinals’ focus is reset as the conference season heads towards the home stretch.
A 60-page PowerPoint helped Nick Elam bring his basketball idea to reality. What began as an idea between his friends watching March Madness soon turned into a 300-page book with one major takeaway: get rid of the clock in the waning moments of the game.
“This might be the best group of throwers and cutters that I’ve seen just all together,” said Koch. “That came from just recruiting and I just don’t think we’ve seen a better class up until this point.”
After some mid-week Mid-American Conference (MAC) play at home, Ball State is now the No. 1 team in the conference. To do so, they defeated Northern Illinois 2-1.
“We practice hard and prepare well, we let the wins come on their own,” Cleland said.
Sparks averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds this season while accumulating 29 blocks and 59 assists. He was named to the All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Second Team this season as the Cardinals went 20-12 (11-7 MAC) and lost to Ohio 90-70 in the first round of the MAC Tournament – the Cardinals second-consecutive first round exit from the postseason.
With a Co-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Regular Season Championship, a second-place finish at the MAC Championship Meet and a nationally-ranked 34th-best NQS score of 196.395, Ball State earned an at-large team bid to the NCAA Regionals in Norman, Oklahoma, the first time since 1999 the Cardinals will compete at regionals as a team and just the second time in program history.
The Cardinals were at Highland Golf and Country Club in Indianapolis for the Don Benbow Invitational. The five-person roster consisted of sophomore Kash Bellar, graduate student Joey Ranieri, redshirt sophomore Ali Khan, freshman Carter Smith, and redshirt sophomore Griffin Hare.
“There’s nothing better than being able to play in front of your own fans and I think our guys thrive off that. Just knowing that we got a lot of season to go and some of it’s going to be played here, it’s always good to get in front of the fans,” said the reigning National Coach of the Year, Donan Cruz.
The tables have turned. The back-to-back Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions Ball State Cardinals (13-3, 2-1 MAC) have been used to having a target on their back over the past two seasons. However, after Sunday’s loss against the Toledo Rockets (12-3, 3-0 MAC), they’ll be doing the hunting instead of being the hunted from here on out.
In Ball State’s first home series of the 2023 campaign, the Cardinals were able to bring out the brooms as they swept Central Michigan. “There's something special about this team when we're playing at home,” head coach Lacy Schurr said. “You know, this is my third season [as Ball State head coach] and there's something about being at home. If we have strikes and outs left on the board, we're still in the game.”
At the halfway point in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) season, Ball State men’s tennis (10-7, 2-3 MAC) is left with some work to do if they want to make the postseason conference tournament. After Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Buffalo Bulls (6-6, 2-3 MAC), the Cardinals are tied with Buffalo for the fourth and final spot in the conference tournament.
March 24-26, Ball State Baseball (17-6, 8-1 MAC) and Eastern Michigan (10-10, 4-5 MAC) competed in a three-game Mid-American Conference (MAC) weekend series, where the Cardinals defeated the Eagles in each contest. Ball State has won eight in a row and returns to action March 28 at home at 3 p.m. against Southern Indiana (7-16, 0-2 OVC).
Ball State Men's Volleyball (14-8, 7-3 MIVA) swept Lindenwood (9-9, 6-4 MIVA) 25-19, 25-18 and 25-17 in conference action at home March 25.
While the Cardinals (13-8, 6-3 MIVA) may not have played their best volleyball Friday, they played well enough to earn a four set (25-13, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21) victory over Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) rival Quincy (7-14, 0-9 MIVA).
“Even though their (Binghamton) record is not good, they have good players. Everybody has good players,” Richards said. “It’s the kind of match every coach worries about. But our guys handled it really well. I was not only pleased with the way we played, but what our mentality was.”
Coach Rifanty Kahfiani is calling this weekend “the toughest” Mid-American Conference (MAC) matches that Ball State Women’s tennis (14-2, 2-0 MAC) will have to face.
“We’re very united as a team, and that really helps when we’re competing,” Pfister said. “We just stay in our own little bubble, and we just support each other.”
