Ball State University Athletics
Men?s Volleyball Places Two on Preseason All-MIVA Team
December 12, 2007 | Men's Volleyball
Muncie, Ind. - - Senior Ian Peckler (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills H.S.) and junior Matt McCarthy (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.) have been named to the 2008 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association All-Conference Preseason Team as voted on by the league's seven head coaches.
Peckler was selected to the squad for the second straight season, while McCarthy is a first-time honoree.
"This is a nice honor for both Ian and Matt," said head coach Joel Walton. "Both have proven to be among the elite players in the conference at their position. We are expecting significant contributions from both Ian and Matt this season."
Peckler, an AVCA and Volleyball Magazine All-America Second Team selection last season, led the league and ranked sixth in the nation with a 2.65 digs-per-game average in 2007. The 6-3 libero played in all 30 matches for the Cardinals last season and in 104 of a possible 109 games. An All-MIVA Second Team selection, Peckler's 276 digs last season ranked second among all NCAA Division I/II players. Peckler enters the 2008 season with 750 career digs and needs just 297 to become Ball State's all-time career leader in the category.
McCarthy, an All-MIVA Second Team selection in 2007, enters his junior year as one of the top middle attackers in the nation. Last season, McCarthy ranked ninth among all NCAA Division I/II players with a .448 attack percentage, which is the second-best hitting mark in BSU annals. The Cardinals' top returning scorer from a year ago, McCarthy started 29 matches last season, scoring 225 kills and 104 total blocks.
The Cardinals, who were selected to finish fifth in the MIVA Preseason Poll by the league's head coaches, open the 2008 season versus UCLA Jan. 3 in the 2008 Outrigger Hotels Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii.
