Ball State University
@ Quincy
Men's Volleyball Sweeps Quincy To Open League Play
January 12, 2008 | Men's Volleyball
QUINCY, Ill. - - The Ball State men's volleyball team opened Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action with a 3-0 (30-28, 30-15, 30-18) victory over Quincy Friday evening at Pepsi Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 1-3 (1-0 MIVA), while Quincy falls to 0-1 (0-1 MIVA).
“I thought the key for us tonight was a couple of good defensive runs in the second and third games,” said Ball State head coach Joel Walton. “We were able to find a couple of service targets that were working for us. In addition, we were able to pass well which set up our offense. Our blocking game also stepped up in the last two games.”
In his first match since April 27, 2006, Ball State senior Patrick Durbin (Louisville, Ky./Trinity H.S.) paced all players with 17 kills, while adding six digs, two blocks and an ace.
“It was nice having Pat back,” added Walton. “He gave us great offense tonight and showed a lot of leadership on the court. He was able to settle our team down and help us get into rhythm.”
BSU freshman Marcus Imwalle (Maria Stein, Ohio/Marion Local) added 12 kills while hitting for a match-best .733 (12-1-15) rate of success.
“Marcus played an extremely consistent match tonight,” said Walton. “He gave us a big boost in the second and third games.”
Overall, the Ball State offense clicked for a season-high .390 (49-10-100) rate of success, including a .560 (15-1-25) clip in the second frame.
The BSU defense limited Quincy to a .178 (39-21-101) hitting mark, while out-digging the Hawks 35-to-29. The hosts held a 9.5-to-8 edge in total blocks, while the Cardinals scored four aces to Quincy's zero.
The opening set was the closest of the night with 16 ties and four lead changes. Durbin scored seven kills in the frame, including tying the set at 26-26. The Hawk's Peter Coley would push the score to 28-28 with his ninth kill of the game before a Quincy service error gave the Cardinals game-point at 29-28.
Sophomore Ethan Pheister (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) followed with the game-winning kill, giving Ball State a 1-0 advantage in the match.
The Cardinals started the second stanza with a 3-1 advantage and never looked back, winning the frame 30-15. Ball State built a 10-point edge at 15-5 on another kill from Durbin, who also scored the game-winning marker.
Imwalle chipped in for six kills on six swings in the set, while junior Matt McCarthy (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton Warrenville South H.S.) added five kills on six attempts.
In the third frame, the teams battled to a 9-9 tie before back-to-back kills from Imwalle and McCarthy helped spark a 7-2 Ball State run and gave BSU a 16-11 advantage. The Cardinals went on to win the game 30-18 on a block assist from Pheister and junior Justin Orr (Gladstone, Mo./Winnetonka H.S.).
Durbin tallied eight kills in the final game, while Imwalle smashed six.
Ball State senior Ian Peckler (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills H.S.) tied Quincy's Ivan Shirokov for match-high honors with eight digs.
Pheister handed out a match-best 40 assists, while collecting four block assists, three digs and an ace.
Coley paced the Hawks with 14 kills, while Robbie Coughlin added 11.
The Ball State men's volleyball team returns to action Saturday evening with a 7 p.m. match at No. 15 Loyola-Chicago.
