Senior outside hitter Kaleb Jenness hit double-digit kills for the second consecutive match and recorded a team-high three aces. Jenness has consistently ranked top three in the nation in both attack attempts per set and kills per set this season.
Three of the four sets went to extra points, but the Cardinals won in four sets by scores of 26-24, 25-22, 28-30 and 36-34 respectively.
During the match, he is the voice of reason between plays. His glasses tip just toward the end of his nose as he looks down for a player’s name and stat line.
In what head coach Donan Cruz said was a recovery-focused move, the Cardinals played a heavily rotated lineup. Junior setter David Flores and junior libero Sammy Adkisson each made their first starts of the season.
It was a successful night for Ball State Men’s Volleyball at Worthen Arena as the Cardinals defeated Lindenwood in four sets. After their loss against Loyola Chicago, head coach Donan Cruz said it was important to get a win.
The Cardinals started the match by winning the first set 25-19, but suffered a "reverse sweep," as Loyola Chicago won the following three sets 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20 respectively.
Taking a bus an hour and a half south on I-69, Purdue Fort Wayne Men’s Volleyball did not have to travel far for their Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) matchup against Ball State Men’s Volleyball Feb. 17.
The Cardinals finished the job in set four, as senior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness had a team-high 19 kills on a .417 hitting percentage, the highest percentage on the court for players with more than 10 kills.
After missing the Feb. 5 match against BYU, graduate student opposite Angelos Mandilaris returned to the Cardinal lineup and recorded a team-high 18 kills.
Graduate student libero Colin Ensalaco led the Cardinals with 12 digs while senior middle blocker Felix Egharevba finished with a team-high six blocks. Cruz said Ball State will learn from this loss and be prepared mentally and physically for the second match of the series.
The Cardinals hit .410 off 78 attacks against the Rainbow Warriors, spearheaded by senior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness with 19 kills. Jenness said Ball State felt energized for its opportunity to defeat Hawaii.
Despite their short time together, though, the Cardinals have chosen their Everest: their 15th Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Tournament championship.
In the victory, Ball State totaled 13.5 blocks, 12.5 more than the Patriots. Senior outside attacker Nick Maritnski and senior middle blocker Felix Egharevba led the Cardinal wall, combining for 17 blocks.
Led by graduate student setter Quinn Isaacson and senior middle blocker Felix Egharevba at the service line, the Cardinals had 14 service aces in the match compared to the Pioneer’s zero, as Ball State won by scores of 25-15, 25-7 and 25-15.
Sitting in the press box at the Camellia Bowl at the end of my first semester, preparing to cover my first bowl game on Christmas Day and looking back on how I felt on day one, I found that anxiety comically overestimated.
While each of these students have different stories and they participate in different sports, they all have one thing in common. Through planning for the future and putting themselves out there, these individual Cardinals have given themselves a starting point on the path to their future.
Although its season ended in defeat, Ball State earned a Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship, won a then NCAA-leading 30 matches, defeated Michigan to win its first NCAA match in 26 years and entered the Louisville matchup on a 20-match unbeaten run. Phillips said the Cardinals will continue to build.
It took 26 years until Ball State Women’s Volleyball (30-3, 17-1 MAC) recorded another victory in the NCAA tournament, as the Cardinals ended their drought with a five set victory against the University of Michigan (18-12, 11-9 BIG10) Dec. 3 in Lousiville, Ky.
This season, Ball State won an NCAA-leading 29 matches, added the program’s ninth-regular season championship to the trophy case, finished their MAC campaign with a 19th straight victory and booked a place in the NCAA Division I championship for the 10th time in program history.
The Cardinals defeated Western Michigan (19-12, 11-7 MAC) 3-1 in the semifinal of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championship in its quest to win its second MAC Championship title in three years.
