Ball State University Athletics
Grabovac MIVA Player of the Week/Men's Volleyball Moves to No. 8
February 15, 2006 | Men's Volleyball
Muncie, Ind. - - Ball State fifth-year senior middle attacker Zoran Grabovac (Des Moines, Iowa/Hoover H.S.) has been named the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Player of the Week - - for the week of Feb. 5-11 - - after helping guide the Cardinals to a 3-0 record last week. The award is the first for Grabovac in his career and the first for the Cardinals this season.
Despite playing in just four of the Cardinals' nine games last week, Grabovac made a huge impact on the court, especially in BSU's victory over then unbeaten and 12th-ranked Loyola. In three games versus the Ramblers, Grabovac paced the Cardinals' blocking effort, individually out-blocking the Loyola team seven (one solo and six assists) to six. Grabovac would also tally eight kills, a .500 (8-2-12) attack percentage and an assists in the win.
In Ball State's victory over Mercyhurst Saturday, Grabovac was limited to just one game in which he recorded five kills, a .571 (5-1-7) attack percentage, one dig and a block assists. He did not play in the Cardinals' match vs. Central State last Tuesday.
On the year, Grabovac has tallied a league-best 1.57 blocks-per-game average, which currently ranks second in the nation. He also ranks ninth in the country with .453 (53-14-86) attack percentage.
As a team, the Cardinals jumped to No. 8 in the latest CSTV/AVCA Division I-II Men's Volleyball Coaches Top 15 Poll. BSU was No. 9 last week after spending the previous three weeks at No. 10. Ball State entered the season ranked 14th. The No. 8 ranking is the highest for the Cardinals since March 9, 2004 - - or 33 polls ago.
Ball State also gained points in the Molton Volleyball Magazine Top 10 Poll, climbing to No. 8 after floating between the No. 10 slot and being unranked the last few weeks.
The Cardinals are the only undefeated NCAA Division I men's volleyball program with a perfect 11-0 (3-0 MIVA) record. The only other undefeated volleyball team in the nation is Division II New Haven who enters the week at 7-0.
The Ball State men's volleyball team will take its 11-match winning streak north this weekend, playing a pivotal league contest at IPFW Friday (7 p.m.) before battling Carthage in Kenosha, Wisconsin, Saturday (5 p.m.). BSU is yet to play the Mastodons this season, while the Red Men are the only team to take games from Ball State this season, in a 3-2 Cardinals' win Jan. 20 at Worthen Arena.
