Ball State University Athletics
Championship Time: MVB To Battle No. 10 Ohio State Saturday
May 01, 2009 | Men's Volleyball
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CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND: After its thrilling come-from-behind victory over No. 12 Lewis Thursday night, the Ball State men's volleyball team advanced to Saturday's 2009 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament championship match where it will face No. 10 Ohio State at 7 p.m. in St. John Arena in Columbus, Ohio . . . The Buckeyes advanced to the championship match by virtue of a 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-25) sweep of No. 13 Loyola in Thursday's second semifinal contest . . . The winner of Saturday's match will earn the league's automatic bid to the four-team NCAA Championship which will be hosted by BYU May 7-9 . . . BSU's last NCAA Championship appearance was in 2002.
HOW TO FOLLOW THE ACTION: WCRD 91.3 FM will broadcast and stream BSU's upcoming MIVA Tournament championship match . . . Fans not in the Muncie area can listen live online and FREE of charge in the webcasts section of www.ballstatesports.com . . . In addition, a live video stream will be available FREE of charge courtesy of Buckeye Vision . . . Ohio State will also offer live stats . . . See the men's volleyball page at www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com for more information.
THE MIVA TOURNAMENT: Ohio State earned the No. 1 seed, a quarterfinal round bye and hosting rights in the 2009 MIVA Tournament by finishing the regular season with a 9-1 league mark . . . Lewis picked up the second seed and a bye by concluding MIVA action with a 7-3 record . . . Ball State earned the No. 3 slot with a 6-4 league record and is followed by No. 4 Loyola (5-5), No. 5 IPFW (3-7) and No. 6 Quincy (0-10).
2009 MIVA Tournament Quarterfinals
Friday, April 24: No. 4 Loyola def. No. 5 IPFW: 3-0 (30-26, 30-26, 30-28)
Saturday, April 25: No. 3 Ball State def. No. 6 Quincy: 3-0 (30-18, 30-13, 30-28)
2009 MIVA Tournament Semifinals (at Ohio State)
Thursday, April 30
No. 3 Ball State def. No. 2 Lewis: 3-2 (27-30, 21-30, 30-25, 31-29, 15-12)
No. 1 Ohio State def No. 4 Loyola: 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-25)
2009 MIVA Tournament Championship Match (at Ohio State)
Saturday, May 2: No. 3 Ball State at No. 1 Ohio State, 7 p.m.
MORE ON THE SEMIFINAL VICTORY: The Ball State men's volleyball team became just the sixth squad in MIVA Tournament history to rally from down 2-0 to win a match in Thursday's semifinal victory over MIVA preseason favorite and No. 12-ranked Lewis . . . Prior to the BSU win, the last time a squad rallied from two games down to win a tournament match was in the 1999 semifinal round, when Ohio State topped the Cardinals 3-2 (15-17, 6-15, 15-6, 15-10, 15-12) . . . This is the second time in tournament history BSU has rallied back to win a match after falling down by two games, as they were the first to accomplish the task in 1985 with a 3-2 (12-15, 12-15, 15-6, 16-14, 15-3) championship match victory over the Buckeyes . . . In fact, only 11 squads have won games three and four after losing the first two, with the team going on to win the fifth 54.5% (6-of-11) of the time.
MORE ABOUT THE COMEBACK WIN: While this is the first time BSU has rallied from two games down to win a match this season, the Cardinals accomplished the task three time last season, including in the Jan. 25, 2008 home match versus Lewis . . . BSU also rallied to beat St. Francis (Jan. 19, 2008) and IPFW (March 21, 2008) after losing the first two games last season, with both matches also being played at Worthen Arena . . . BSU has lost two matches this season after winning the first two games, including the March 14 match at Loyola and the March 27 home contest versus Ohio State.
THE BALL STATE/OHIO STATE SERIES: The Cardinals currently hold a 98-79-1 lead in the all-time series versus Ohio State, despite losses in nine of the last 12 meetings . . . The Buckeyes scored 3-2 wins in both regular season the meetings this year, with a 3-2 (30-25, 20-30, 30-21, 26-30, 15-12) win at St. John Arena (March 11) and a 3-2 (27-30, 21-30, 30-26, 30-27, 15-10) victory at Worthen Arena (March 27) . . . Prior to OSU's road win over the Cardinals March 27, the home team had won the last seven meetings in the series . . . Overall, the Buckeyes hold a 41-30 advantage in matches played in St. John Arena, including five straight wins . . . BSU's last victory at Ohio State was a 3-0 (30-21, 31-29, 30-22) sweep April 7, 2006.
PLAYING IN THE TOURNAMENT: Saturday's MIVA Tournament championship match will mark the 32nd meeting between Ball State and Ohio State in tournament play . . . After scoring a 3-0 (30-19, 30-24, 30-21) championship match victory last season, the Buckeyes hold a 16-15 edge in the previous 31 contests, including seven straight wins . . . In championship matches, the teams have meet 14 times with BSU collecting seven wins (1995, 1989, 1988, 1985, 1984, 1967 & 1965) and OSU scoring seven wins (2008, 1987, 1986, 1983, 1982, 1981 & 1969) . . . Ball State's last tournament win over the Buckeyes was a 3-0 (15-6, 16-14, 15-6) semifinal victory in 1997.
CARDINALS IN THE TOURNAMENT: Ball State enters Saturday's MIVA Tournament championship match with a 56-24 (.700) all-time mark in league tournament play, including wins over Quincy and No. 12 Lewis this year . . . BSU is 14-1 in quarterfinal matches, 16-10 in semifinal action and 14-10 in championships matches (BSU's all-time championship matches are listed on page four of this release) . . . In addition, from 1964-1969, BSU was 12-3 in round robin play . . . Including Thursday's win, the Cardinals have eliminated Lewis in the last three tournaments, while playing Ohio State in the following match each time; losing in the 2007 semifinals and the 2008 championships match.
SCOUTING BALL STATE: The Cardinals enter Saturday's match with an 18-9 overall record after toping No. 12 Lewis in MIVA Tournament semifinal action Thursday . . . Todd Chamberlain paces the Ball State attack with a 3.28 kills-per-game average, while J.D. Gasparovic leads the BSU offense and league with a .475 (193-31-341) attack percentage . . . At the net, Gasparovic also owns a league-best 1.40 blocks-per-game average . . . Ethan Pheister has set the BSU offense to a .276 rate of success this season, while adding 1.23 digs and 0.99 blocks per game . . . Billy Ebel holds down the BSU backcourt with a 2.75 digs-per-game average.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes enter Saturday's match with a 15-10 record and ranked 10th in the latest Bison/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll after sweeping No. 13 Loyola in MIVA Tournament semifinal action Thursday . . . Ted Schoenfeldt paces the Ohio State attack with a 3.45 kills-per-game average, while Kevin Heine leads the team with a .443 (168-36-298) attack percentage . . . At the net, John Albertson owns a team-best 1.37 blocks-per-game average . . . Steven Kehoe has set the OSU offense to a .291 rate of success this season, while adding 2.04 digs and 0.83 blocks per game . . . Mik Berzins holds down the Buckeyes backcourt with a 2.63 digs-per-game average
BSU VS. OSU: In the two previous matches versus Ohio State this season, six BSU players have recorded double-figure kills, paced by Todd Chamberlain's 39 which include a career-high 22 at St. John Arena March 11 . . . J.D. Gasparovic is averaging 1.40 blocks per game versus the Buckeyes, while Andy Nelson is at 1.11, including a team-high three solo stuffs . . . BSU setter Ethan Pheister has run the offense at a .256 clip, while Billy Ebel has a team-high 2.50 digs-per-game average . . . A complete statistical breakdown can be found on pages 11-12.
OSU VS. BSU: In the two previous matches versus Ball State this season, five Buckeyes have recorded double-figure kills, paced by Ted Schoenfeldt at 33 . . . John Albertson is averaging 1.20 blocks per game versus the Cardinals, while setter Steven Kehoe has run the offense at a .272 clip . . . Mik Berzins has a team-high 1.75 digs-per-game average . . . A complete statistical breakdown can be found on pages 11-12.
IN THE POLLS: Ball State remained outside the top 15 in the latest Bison/AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Poll . . . BSU received 15 points in this week's poll, two more than last week and six less than No. 15 UC Santa Barbara pulled in . . . The final poll will be released May 11 after the NCAA Championships . . . So far this season, BSU has been ranked in nine of the 17 polls, while receiving points in all 17 . . . The Cardinals have been ranked: 12th (preseason poll), 13th (Jan. 12, Jan. 19 and Feb. 2), 14th (March 9, March 23) and 15th (March 2, April 6 and April 13) . . . This week, Ohio State is the top-ranked MIVA squad at 10th, while Lewis is 12th and Loyola is 13th.
BREAKING DOWN THE RANKINGS: So far this season, BSU is a perfect 11-0 in matches when it is outside the top 15, including a pair of wins in MIVA Tournament action . . . The Cardinals are also 5-1 when ranked 15th, topping Quincy (March 5), Grand Canyon (March 7 & 8), IPFW (April 11) and Saint Francis (April 18), while only losing to then-No. 7 Penn State (April 17) . . . However, BSU is a combined 2-8 when it is ranked higher than 15th (1-4 at No. 13 and 1-4 at No. 14).
1,015 AND COUNTING: After collecting MIVA Tournament wins over Quincy and Lewis, Ball State men's volleyball has amassed an overall program record of 1,015-398-8 in 45-plus years . . . The program joins baseball (1,373-1,281-14 in 88-plus years as of April 29) and men's basketball (1,079-980-1 in 88 years) as the only programs in school history to reach 1,000 wins . . . In addition, only one other NCAA Division I/II men's volleyball program has eclipsed 1,000 wins, with UCLA ending its 2009 campaign with a 1,185-253 all-time record over 47 years.
ALL-MIVA: Three members of the Ball State men's volleyball team were honored when the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association announced its all-conference and specialty award selections, as voted on by the league's six head coaches . . . Representing the Cardinals on the All-MIVA First Team were senior outside attacker Todd Chamberlain and sophomore middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic . . . Junior setter Ethan Pheister earned recognition on the All-MIVA Second Team.
MORE ABOUT THE HONORS: Ball State has placed at least one player on the All-MIVA first team every year since the 2001 season, marking nine straight years . . . In fact, BSU has had at least one first team selection on all but three (1998, 1999 and 2000) of the 49 all-time lists dating back to 1961, when men's volleyball was still a club sport at Ball State . . . Men's volleyball became a varsity sport at BSU in 1964 . . . In all, 70 BSU student-athletes have combined for a total of 117 All-MIVA first team honors . . . 31 Ball State players have earned All-MIVA second team honors a total of 36 times, while two earned All-MIVA third team accolades in the three years of the award (2000-02).
STRONG SERVING: The Cardinals continue to be one of the premiere serving teams in the nation, ranking fourth among all Division I/II schools with a 1.58 aces-per-game average according to the latest national statistical rankings release April 27 . . . Entering Saturday's match versus Ohio State, Ethan Pheister leads the team with his 0.46 average, after entering the week ranked second in the league and fifth nationally at 0.49 . . . Redshirt freshman outside attacker Dominic Spadavecchio entered the week ranked fourth in the league and 12th nationally at 0.40 and is currently at 0.38 after Thursday's match.
CHAMBERLAIN CLIMBING THE CHARTS: With his 14 kills versus Quincy last Saturday, senior Todd Chamberlain climbed from 18th to 16th in program history in career kills . . . After adding 12 more kills in Thursday's win over Lewis, Chamberlain has 918 career markers. . . Chamberlain is 11 kills shy of passing fellow Louisville, Ky., native Patrick Durbin (2004-06, 08) for 15th on BSU's all-time list . . . This season, Chamberlain has posted 20-or-more kills three times, while adding double-figure kills in 17 of BSU's 27 matches . . . Chamberlain also ranks 15th in program history in career kills-per-game average (2.94) and is tied for 14th in career service aces (70).
MORE ON CHAMBERLAIN: Todd Chamberlain also raised his career digs total to 490 and career blocks total to 189 after posting nine digs and one blocks against Lewis . . . Chamberlain is looking to become just the 14 player in program history to record over 850 kills and 500 digs in a career, with Nick Meyer (2004-07) being the last player to accomplish the task at 1,415 kills and 557 digs.
TOP DOG: Dubbed “The Bulldog” by public address announcer and BSU men's volleyball alum Steve Shondell, sophomore J.D. Gasparovic leads the MIVA with a .475 hitting percentage . . . Gasparovic, who has hit .500-or-better in 14 of the 24 matches he has play, has tallied double-digit kills in 12 matches this season including a career-high 15 kills versus then-No. 11 Lewis (Jan. 30) . . . Over his last nine matches, Gasparovic has smashed double-digit markers seven times.
HE CAN BLOCK TOO: In addition to leading the MIVA in hitting, J.D. Gasparovic ranks first in the league with a 1.40 blocks-per-game average . . . In the March 8 win at Grand Canyon, Gasparovic tied a career-high with 13 total blocks (one solo and 12 assists) . . . Gasparovic has posted four-or-more blocks in each of his last 13 complete matches and 17 times overall this season . . . Last season as a freshman, Gasparovic finished the year ranked first in the MIVA with a 1.45 blocks-per-game average.
LOOKING BACK: The last time a Ball State player led the league in hitting was 2004, when Zoran Grabovac (2003-06) hit .444 to rank first and Andrew Braley (2002-05) hit .442 to rank second in the MIVA . . . Ohio State's Todd Hill was the last player to lead the MIVA and both hitting (.459) and blocking (1.52) in the same season, accomplishing the task in 2001.
BENCH COMES UP BIG VERSUS LEWIS: Ball State's bench provided a big boost in Thursday's win over Lewis, as both J.D. Gasparovic and sophomore outside attacker Lee Meyer came off the pine to provide 10 kills each and combined for a .529 attack percentage . . . Gasparovic, who had missed the last three matches due to illness and was a scratch up until match time, ended the night hitting .529 (10-0-19), while Meyer paced all players with a .533 (10-2-15) rate of success . . . Senior libero Mark Termion added a season-high two aces in a serving specialist role, including a pivotal ace in the fifth game . . . Junior outside attacker Eric Schulte added five kills and four digs off the bench, while sophomore outside attacker Marcus Imwalle collected three kills and one dig.
UP THE MIDDLE: In addition to the bench play, Ball State's success in the middle of the court played a large part in the come-from-behind win over Lewis in Thursday's MIVA Tournament semifinal match . . . Sophomore middle attacker Andy Nelson tied for team-high honors with 12 kills, while J.D. Gasparovic added 10 and senior middle attacker Matt McCarthy blasted a pair of makers . . . Nelson, who logged a match-best six total blocks, also hit .478 (12-1-23) in the contest, while BSU's three middles combined for a .458 (24-2-48) hitting mark.
PHEISTER DISHING THE ROCK: Junior setter Ethan Pheister became just the seventh player in program history to reach 2,000 career assists in the Feb. 21 match versus Carthage . . . Both his 2,781 career helpers and his 10.99 career assists-per-game average rank him fifth in program history . . . In addition, his 68 career service aces tie Chad Weyenberg (1982-85) for 18th in program history.
EBEL DIGGING IT UP: Junior libero Billy Ebel collected a career-high 22 digs in the Cardinals' win over Lewis in Thursday's MIVA Tournament semifinal contest . . . His best performance of the contest came in the fourth game, when he collected nine digs to help Ball State survive a furious Flyers rally at the end of the game . . . Ebel, who owns a team-best 2.75 digs-per-game average this season, entered the week ranked second in the MIVA and 15th nationally with a 2.66 digs-per-game average . . . Ebel posted a then-career-high 18 digs in the Feb. 27 win over IPFW, which is a BSU rally-scoring era record for digs in a three-game match . . . In league-only matches, Ebel owns a 2.74 digs-per-game average . . . Ebel has posted double-figure digs in 14 of Ball State's 27 matches this season.
REACHING 20 DIGS: Billy Ebel is just the 15th player in program history to record 20 digs in a match . . . Prior to Ebel, Ian Peckler (2005-08) was the last player to accomplish the task when he scored 21 digs in the March 7, 2008 match at IPFW . . . Peckler and head coach Joel Walton (1985-88) are two of only five BSU players to record 20-or-more digs in two matches . . . In addition, assistant coach Kevin Furnish (1989-91) collected a career-high 22 digs in a April 5, 1991 match versus George Mason.
WALTON REACHES 200: Head coach Joel Walton became just the second coach in program history to record 200 career victories with Ball State's 3-2 (29-31, 30-27, 30-25, 23-30, 15-7) win over then-No. 14 Loyola Feb. 28 . . . Over his 11-year tenure, Walton has amassed a 211-113 (.651) career record . . . He picked up his first career head coaching victory versus Mercyhurst Jan. 17, 1999, while his 100th win came versus Springfield College Feb. 1, 2004 . . . In league action, Walton owns a 109-45 (.708) MIVA ledger with his 100th career victory coming at Mercyhurst (March 8, 2008).
TEAM EFFORT LEADS BSU TO 1,000TH WIN: In the Feb. 13 win over MSOE, 14 of BSU's 15 active players helped guide the program to its 1,000th all-time win . . . Redshirt junior Ben Irwin and sophomore James Emming led the BSU offense with seven kills apiece, while sophomore transfer Andy Nelson added six . . . Overall, 11 different Cardinals recorded at least one kill in the contest, with Lee Meyer providing the match winner for one of his five connections with the hardwood floor . . . Overall, over 250 alumni and 18 current student-athletes have helped the Cardinals reach the 1,000 win plateau . . . Eight alumni and program founder Don Shondell have been inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame.
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS: Worthen Arena saw a Ball State men's volleyball record 3,729 fans at the Jan. 17 match versus No. 4 Stanford and followed with 1,507 fans versus No. 11 Lewis (Jan. 30) . . . Overall, BSU broke the 1,000 fan mark six times this season . . . Since Worthen Arena began hosting BSU men's volleyball in 1992, the Cardinals have cracked the 1,000 mark in attendance a total of 21 times, with 19 of the crowds coming in the last four seasons . . . The largest crowds to watch volleyball in Worthen Arena came when BSU hosted the 1992 NCAA Men's Volleyball Championships with 7,391 in attendance for the championship match which saw Pepperdine sweep Stanford April 25, 1992 . . . 5,711 fans attended the April 24, 1992 semifinal matches.
MORE ATTENDANCE FIGURES: Entering Saturday's tournament championship match, Ball State has the best fan attendance in the league with an average of 1,103 fans over 13 matches . . . Loyola was second at 665 over 13 matches, followed by Lewis (580/13) and Ohio State (539/13).
BALL STATE ON THE RADIO: WCRD 91.3 FM will broadcast Ball State's 2009 MIVA Tournament championship match versus No. 10 Ohio State, with pre-match coverage beginning Saturday at 6:45 p.m. . . . James Rider will cover the play-by-play action, while Nick Golden provides the color commentary and Adam Lickliter brings the sideline reports . . . The station also serves as the home for “The Joel Walton Show”, a weekly BSU men's volleyball report which airs Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. . . . All WCRD broadcasts will be streamed live and FREE of charge at www.ballstatesports.com.
