Ball State University Athletics
No. 14 Men's Volleyball Rolls Past Rutgers-Newark
January 10, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
Muncie, Ind. - - The No. 14 Ball State (1-0) men's volleyball team rolled to a 3-0 (30-18, 30-19, 30-19) victory over visiting Rutgers-Newark (0-3) Tuesday evening in its 2006 season-opener at John E. Worthen Arena.
"As a team, we were able to hit a lot of the numbers we wanted to reach in tonight's match, starting with our hitting, blocking and serving" said head coach Joel Walton. "I was really pleased with our ability to run a solid offense with Jim as our setter. We also played smart offensively and proved to ourselves that we do not have to bang balls all the time to score kills."
In the contest, freshman back-up setter Jim Shiel (Indianapolis, Ind./Cathedral H.S.) led the Cardinals to a .407 (44-11-81) hitting mark, claiming 38 assists in his first collegiate contest. Shiel also tied for team-high honors with six total blocks, while adding three digs, a pair of kills and two service aces.
Redshirt sophomore Doug Willmann (St. Louis, Mo./Francis Howell North H.S.) also added six total blocks in the contest, while hitting for a .800 (4-0-5) rate of success. He also posted a service ace in the win.
Junior Nick Meyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller H.S.) tallied a match-best 14 kills in the win, while adding six digs, four blocks and three assists.
After falling behind 4-2 early in the first set, the Cardinals put together a 4-0 run to take a 6-4 edge and never looked back. Rutgers-Newark would get as close as one point at 6-5 and 7-6, only to see BSU go on a 16-7 run to take a 10-point advantage at 23-13. BSU would win the set 30-18 on a block assist from senior Evan Berg (Bristol, Wis./Central H.S.) and redshirt freshman Matt McCarthy (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.).
The second stanza saw the Cardinals pull ahead 4-0 and never trail. BSU took its first 10-point advantage at the 23-13 mark for the second-straight game, before winning the frame at 30-19 on a Rutgers-Newark service error.
Ball State opened the third set with another 4-0 advantage and would pull ahead by 10 points at the 19-9 mark. After reaching match point at 29-19 on a kill from Meyer, BSU would close the contest on a block assists from Shiel and Willmann.
BSU's Berg would conclude the contest with a match-high nine digs, while adding six kills, four blocks and an assist. McCarthy would score four kills, four blocks and an ace.
Junior Patrick Durbin (Louisville, Ky./Trinity H.S.) would also tally solid numbers on the night, posting nine kills, seven digs, one solo block and an ace.
In addition to Shiel and McCarthy, three other BSU players would see their first collegiate action, with sophomore Ted Summers-Torres (San Diego, Calif./University of San Diego H.S.), redshirt freshman Mark Termion (Winfield, Ill./Wheaton North H.S.) and true freshmen Todd Chamberlain (Louisville, Ky./Trinity H.S.) entering the match. Chamberlain would tally four kills, a dig and a block in the win.
Also aiding in the Cardinals win were senior Zoran Grabovac (Des Moines, Iowa/Hoover H.S.) with a kill and a block; junior Mark Rumschik (Orchard Park, N.Y./Orchard Park H.S.) and sophomore Ian Peckler (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills H.S.) with five digs and an assists.
As a team, the Cardinals out-hit the Scarlet Raiders .407 to .072 (33-26-97). BSU also held a 14 to 7.5 edge in total blocks, a 5-0 advantage in aces and a 31-22 lead in digs.
Brian Honsberger paced Rutgers-Newark with 10 kills, while Danny McGowan scored a team-best eight digs in the loss.
The No. 14 Ball State men's volleyball team returns to action twice this weekend, starting with a
