Ball State University
9-4 (3-3MIVA)
IPFW
6-7 (2-4MIVA)
Men?s Volleyball Rallies To Top IPFW, 3-2
February 26, 2010 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State men's volleyball team rallied from a two-game hole to post a 3-2 (28-30, 30-32, 30-22, 30-20, 15-6) victory over Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and in-state rival IPFW Thursday night at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals even their MIVA record at 3-3 and climb to 9-4 overall on the season. The Mastodons fall to 6-7 (2-4 MIVA) with the loss.
For the second-straight match junior J.D. Gasparovic (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville H.S.) was a main component in the Cardinals victory, racking up a team-high 18 kills to go along with a match-best and career-high 14 (one solo and 13 assists) total blocks. Gasparovic's 14 total blocks, which are a BSU rally-scoring record for blocks in a match, were also four-and-a-half more than the entire IPFW squad which finished the night with 9.5 team blocks.
In addition to Gasparovic, three other Ball State players logged double-digit kills in victory, as redshirt freshman Jamion Hartley (North Chicago, Ill./North Chicago H.S.) smashed 14, junior Lee Meyer (Cincinnati, Ohio/Moeller H.S.) added 11 and junior Anders Nelson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls H.S.) blasted 10.
Darryl Shank paced the Mastodon's offense with a match-best 20 kills, while Elon Fyfield added 13.
Defense was the key to the Cardinals' victory, as BSU limited IPFW to a -.050 (26-31-100) attacking percentage in the final three games. As a team, Ball State finished the match with a season-high 22.5 team blocks, which are the second-most blocks in a five-game match for the Cardinals in the rally-scoring error. BSU's rally-scoring record for blocks in a five-game match is 25.5 at George Mason (Feb. 8, 2008), in a match which a then-freshman Gasparovic posted his previous career-high of 13 total blocks.
On the offensive side, the Cardinals finish the match with a .294 (63-21-143) attacking percentage, including hitting over .425 in the final two games. IPFW finished the night with a .076 (57-44-170) rate of success after hitting negative in the final three games.
In the backcourt, the Mastodon's Shaun Dryden collected a match-high 17 digs, while senior libero Billy Ebel (Lenexa, Kan./Bishop Miege H.S.) paced the Cardinals with 15 digs. Fellow BSU senior Matt Sprague (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette H.S.) also tallied double-figure digs in the win, with a season-high 11.
In the opening game, the teams battled to an 11-11 deadlock before a pair a BSU attack error and a Fyfield service ace gave the guests a two-point lead at 13-11. The Mastodons extended their lead to four points moments later, as a back-to-back Shank kills pushed the score to 18-14 and forced a Ball State timeout.
With the guests maintaining a four-point lead at the 27-23 mark, a service error and a Gasparovic kill brought the Cardinals within two at 27-25. A Meyer kill cut the gap to one point at 28-27, only to have a BSU attack error give IPFW game point. Another Gasparovic kill gave BSU a moment of life, but the Mastodon's Ivan Matos ended the game at 30-28 with a kill on the next rally.
Ball State controlled the play early on in the second set, as a block and two kills from Gasparovic helped make the score 5-2. With Ball State holding a slim 15-14 lead, a Hartley kill and back-to-back BSU blocks led to an IPFW timeout at 18-14.
A block assist from Hartley and Gasparovic several rallies later gave Ball State a six-point lead in the game at 24-18. However, a rally from IPFW would cut the BSU advantage to two at 25-23 and force BSU to utilize its first timeout. The Cardinals responded with the next three points and reached game-point at 29-24 after an IPFW service error.
With their backs against the wall, IPFW answered with two kills from Fyfield and a Shank marker to draw back within two at 29-27. After BSU's final timeout, a block assists from Shank and Corey Frain cut the lead to one, while Shank's eighth kill of the frame tied the score at 29. A kill from Nelson gave the Cardinals one more chance to win the game, but three straight BSU errors allowed the Mastodons to complete the comeback with a 32-30 game victory.
After the long break, the Cardinals scored three of the first four points in the third game thanks to kills from both Hartley and Meyer. While IPFW remained within two, at 12-10, after a kill and service ace from Oliver Kook, the Cardinals rattled off 14 of the next 18 points to build a 26-14 cushion. During the run, Gasparovic and Nelson each scored a pair of kills, while Sprague added one.
With the 12-point lead still intact at 28-16, a BSU attack error and three straight aces from Kook had the guests looking for another late-game comeback. A Gasparovic kill gave BSU game point at 29-20, while a service error three rallies later allowed the Cardinals to win the game 30-22.
The fourth game saw the Cardinals cruise out to a 6-2 advantage and never look back, as IPFW would get no closer than three points the remained for the set. In fact, a kill from Ethan Pheister (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) gave the hosts a 10-point lead at 23-13, while a triple block from Gasparovic, Dominic Spadavecchio (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd H.S.) and Eric Schulte (Shorewood, Wis./Shorewood H.S.) extended the lead to 12 at 27-15.
After two kills and an ace from Shank helped IPFW cut the lead to nine at 28-19, a Nelson kill gave BSU game-point at 29-19. The Cardinals would go on to win the frame 30-20 on another IPFW service error.
The fifth and final game was decided early, as Ball State posted eight of the first nine points, including three blocks and a kill from Gasparovic. Meyer combined on two of the blocks and added a kill, while Pheister joined in on one and added a kill of his own.
After a long night, the Cardinals reached match point , at 14-6, thanks to a triple block from Nelson, Pheister and Sprague, before winning the game 15-6 on an IPFW attack error.
The Ball State men's volleyball team returns to action tomorrow night (Friday), when it faces No. 15 Lewis in another 7:30 p.m. showdown at Worthen Arena.
