Ball State University
2-1 (0-1)MIVA
MSOE
1-2 (0-0)MW3
No. 13 Men's Volleyball Scores Sunday Sweep Over MSOE
January 17, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - - The 13th-ranked Ball State men's volleyball team used a career-high 13 kills from freshman Larry Wrather (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest H.S.) to score a 3-0 (30-18, 30-24, 30-27) sweep over the Milwaukee School of Engineering Sunday afternoon at the Kern Center.
"We played three tough road matches this weekend and were able to look at a number of different lineup options," said Ball State head coach Joel Walton. "We had a chance to watch everyone on the court and learned a lot about our team. We will take this knowledge to the practice gym as we prepare for Thursday's match versus Grand Canyon. I am looking forward to returning home and battling Grand Canyon and Carthage on our home court."
With the win, Ball State ends its season-opening three match road trip with a 2-1 overall record. MSOE falls to 1-2 with the loss. The Cardinals also improve to 6-0 all-time versus the Raiders.
Wrather provided a huge spark for the Cardinals by tying for match-high honors with 13 kills. He also hit .333 (13-4-27) on the day, while tying for team-high honors with four total blocks.
Fellow freshman Jamion Hartley (North Chicago, Ill./North Chicago H.S.) ranked second on the team with six kills, while four other BSU players scored four kills apiece.
In the backcourt, Billy Ebel (Lenexa, Ka./Bishop Miege H.S.) paced all players with 15 digs.
Chris Reininger led the Raiders' offense with 13 kills, while hitting for a match-best .545 (13-1-22) rate of success. Glenn Frazee added seven kills for MSOE, while Jon Holzbauer collected a team-best nine digs.
Ball State finished the match with a .255 (40-16-94) to .078 (33-25-103) hitting advantage, while out-digging MSOE 39 to 33 and out-blocking them 10.5 to six.
While the Cardinals started the match with a block assists from Eric Schulte (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) and J.D. Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville H.S), three kills from MSOE's Reininger set the early tone, as the hosts pulled out to a 6-3 advantage. The Raiders continued to hold a three-point lead at the 9-6 mark after a Max Martin service ace.
After a service error cut the gap to two, some strong serving from Lee Meyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller H.S.) helped the Cardinals rack up the next eight points to pull ahead 15-9. Ball State built its first 10-point lead at 26-16 behind a Schulte service ace, while a Meyer kill ended the frame at 30-18.
BSU struggled at the start of the second stanza, as four early errors helped MSOE pull ahead 5-1. A solo block by Jack Geary extended the Raiders' lead to six points at 9-3, and the lead remained six at 12-6 following a Max Martin kill.
From there, an Anders Nelson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls H.S.) kill and a pair of block assists from Gasparovic and Wrather sparked a 6-1 run and helped BSU pull within one at 13-12. Following a Reininger kill, a pair of MSOE errors tied the set at 14.
The hosts scored the next two points, on a Frazee kill and a Reininger service ace, only to have back-to-back errors and a Hartley kill give BSU its first lead of the frame at 17-16. A back-and-forth battle ensued from there, as the teams played to a 24-24 deadlock.
Marcus Imwalle (Maria Stein, Ohio/Marion Local H.S.) broke the tie with a kill on the next play, while more strong serving from Gasparovic helped the Cardinals force errors on the next three rallies. With a 28-24 lead, a triple block (Hartley, Imwalle and Nelson) gave BSU set point, while a Wrather smash ended the frame at 30-24. In all, the Cardinals scored the final six points of the game.
Ball State carried over the momentum into the third frame, posing the first four points, thanks in part to a pair of block assists from Matt Leske (Highwood, Ill./Highland Park H.S.), who was joined by Hartley on the first and Wrather on the second. Another block assist from Leske and Wrather pushed the BSU advantage to five at the 11-6 mark.
MSOE responded with the next four points, however, as two Reininger kills surrounding a Martin service ace and followed by a Chris Brandt marker, cut the lead to 11-10. The Raiders managed to tie the score at 14 moments later with a block assists from Frazee and Geary.
This time, the teams battled to a 27-27 tie before a costly MSOE service error and an Imwalle kill gave Ball State match-point. Following the Raiders' second time out, Ball State's Hartley blasted the match-winning kill at 30-27.
The Ball State men's volleyball team returns to action Thursday, when it hosts first-year Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association member Grand Canyon University in a 7:30 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena. The contest will be the first-ever league match for the 'Lopes.
