Ball State University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Closes Out Regular Season With Win Over Rutgers-Newark
April 16, 2005 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – After celebrating the careers of seniors Andrew Braley and Scott Bushong prior to the match, the Ball State men's volleyball team improved to 16-14 overall with a 3-1 (30-18, 27-30, 30-12, 30-24) victory over non-conference opponent Rutgers-Newark Saturday night at Worthen Arena.
The seniors started off strong in the first game. Braley totaled two kills and four block assists in the opening frame, while Bushong was on his way to a standout performance. He was hitting a 1.000 attack percentage with four kills and one block assist when he fell to the ground with an ankle injury as BSU was leading 21-12. Nick Meyer would eventually get two straight kills to end the game 30-18.
After dropping the second game 27-30, the Cardinals came back with their best offensive performance of the match by hitting .591 with 15 kills and only two errors. The 18-point advantage at the conclusion of game three was also their largest lead of an otherwise close match.
Meyer opened the fourth game with two consecutive aces to jumpstart Ball State. After the teams battled to an 18-18 tie, the Cardinals started to pull away by winning the next four points. BSU won the match after an attack error by the Scarlet Raiders' Matt Brosseau.
Meyer finished with a match-high 19 kills, while Zoran Grabovac hit .706 with 13 kills to lead the Ball State attack. Evan Berg and Mark Rumschik rounded out the kill leaders for the Cardinals with nine and eight, respectively. Dave Carlson added 48 assists on 111 attempts.
Braley finished with a match-high 10 total blocks – tying his career-best mark previously set Feb. 21, 2004 at Mercyhurst. Meyer, Berg and Grabovac each notched four total blocks. Carlson led the team with 17 digs, followed by Rumschik's 12 and Meyer's 10.
Ball State ended up out-hitting Rutgers-Newark .252 to .071 for the match and notched 14 more kills with a 60-46 advantage.
As the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's third seed, the Cardinals will host sixth-seeded Mercyhurst Saturday, April 23 at 7 p.m. for a MIVA Quarterfinal-round match. BSU swept the season series with the Lakers, winning both matches 3-0.
