Ball State University Athletics
Ethan Pheister Named MIVA Player Of The Week
March 09, 2009 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - After guiding the No. 14 Ball State men's volleyball team to a 3-0 record last week, Ball State junior setter Ethan Pheister (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) has been named the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Player of the Week as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Phiester, who is the third Ball State player to earn MIVA Player of the Week accolades this season joining Todd Chamberlain (Jan. 20) and J.D. Gasparovic (Feb. 2), is a three-time career honoree. He earned the award once as a freshman and once as a sophomore.
“Ethan ran our offense at a very high level this past week,” said Ball State head coach Joel Walton. “His serving and blocking were also critical elements of our team's defensive success.”
In the Cardinals' three victories last week, Pheister guided the offense to a .414 hitting percentage, including a season-high .459 success rate in Sunday's series finale at Grand Canyon University. BSU hit above its season average in all three contests, including a .415 mark at league foe Quincy and a .383 percentage in the series opener at GCU.
In addition to handing out 12.36 assists per game last week, Pheister made sure his presence was felt at the net, racking up a 1.55 blocks-per-game average. He also posted a 1.27 digs-per-game average in the three matches, while adding a pair of aces. As a team, Ball State's defense limited its opposition to .097 hitting mark last week, including a -.069 output for GCU Sunday afternoon.
In the match at Quincy, where the Cardinals improved to 4-0 in MIVA play, Pheister handed out 49 assists, while posting six digs, four blocks, two kills and an ace. In Saturday's match at Grand Canyon University, Pheister dished out a season-high 57 assists, while tying a career-high with seven block assists. He also added three digs and an ace in the four-set win. Pheister rounded out the week with 30 assists, six blocks, five digs and two kills Sunday at GCU.
Entering the week, Pheister ranks ninth in the nation with a 0.40 aces-per-game average. He also ranks 14th in assists (12.13) and 18th in blocks per game (1.26). As a team, the Cardinals rank fifth in the nation with a 3.42 blocks-per-game average and sixth in the nation with a .309 hitting percentage.
The Ball State men's volleyball team, which moved up one spot to 14th in the latest Bison/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll, will have a tough week ahead, starting Wednesday with a 7 p.m. match at No. 15 Ohio State. The Cardinals will also travel to No. 10 Lewis and Loyola this weekend.
