Ball State starts hot, finishes cold in 3-1 loss at McKendree
By Nate Fields / February 10, 2018After winning the opening set, Ball State was unable to find much of a rhythm on the way to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of McKendree.
After winning the opening set, Ball State was unable to find much of a rhythm on the way to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of McKendree.
The Cardinals played with the heart of a team that can compete with anyone in the nation but ultimately fell short in the final set.
Ball State’s match against No. 5 Ohio State will be the team’s fourth match against a top 10 opponent this season.
Ball State men’s volleyball needed to end the non-conference portion of its schedule on a high note. Mission accomplished.
Ball State men’s volleyball had an opportunity to earn a huge road win after overcoming a big deficit in the fourth set, but couldn’t capitalize on its momentum in the final game.
The key to Ball State finding more success on the offensive end will be the ability to keep its opponents guessing.
No. 14 Ball State men’s volleyball ended a weekend full of errors and inconsistency by losing its first match to an unranked opponent this season.
Ball State (4-3) fell to No. 12 Pepperdine (3-2) by a 3-1 margin Saturday. It seemed to be a match in which the Cardinals couldn’t get out of their own way, racking up 20 service errors and 24 attack errors while playing from behind for much of the match.
No. 14 Ball State men’s volleyball (4-2) will look to keep building on its current momentum after winning both of its matches last weekend as it sets out on its first road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Fairfax, Virginia, to take on No. 12 Pepperdine on Saturday and George Mason on Sunday in the Uvaldo Acosta Invitational.
Ball State men’s volleyball’s Matt Walsh was named both Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Offensive Player of the Week and the Sports Imports/AVCA Player of the Week.
The Cardinals weren’t letting the Crimson hang around in set four as they surrendered just nine points in the deciding set.
Ball State men’s volleyball entered the fifth set of Friday’s match determined to not let a third consecutive game end in a loss.
The Cardinals will have to do just that this weekend as they take on Sacred Heart on Friday and Harvard on Saturday.
Ball State men’s volleyball surely doesn’t lack in the block department. With a wall of attackers including Matt Walsh and Anthony Lebryk, the Cardinals tallied 11 total team blocks — three more than Stanford.
The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround as they take on Stanford tomorrow at 7:30.
The Cardinals will look to build on a 2-0 record when it hosts two powerhouse teams in No. 6 Brigham Young on Friday and Stanford on Saturday.
After a tough winter break of two-a-day practices and training, Ball State men’s swimming and diving came up short against all three teams over the weekend.
Western Michigan rallied from two sets down to beat Ball State 3-2 (19-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13) to advance to the MAC semifinals on Friday evening.
Ball State men’s volleyball has unveiled its 2018 schedule that will pair the Cardinals with top ranked schools from across the country.
Ball State will look to make a run in the MAC Volleyball Championship next to seven other qualifying teams. The teams will compete for what will likely be the conference’s only bid into the NCAA Tournament.
