Ball State University
7-6 (2-3MIVA)
Quincy
8-7 (0-4MIVA)
Men's Volleyball Collects Sweep Of Quincy
February 26, 2011 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - Behind a career-high 12 kills from sophomore right side Greg Herceg (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius H.S.), the Ball State men's volleyball team scored a 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-17) sweep of Quincy in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play Friday evening at Worthen Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 7-6 (2-3 MIVA). The Hawks fall to 8-7 (0-4 MIVA) with the loss.
In addition to his 12 kills, Herceg tied three more career-highs with five digs, four aces and a .421 (12-4-19) hitting mark.
Redshirt junior outside attacker Dominic Spadavecchio (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd H.S.) and sophomore outside attacker Larry Wrather (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forrest H.S.) each collected seven kills.
Sophomore setter Dan Wichmann (Arlington Heights, Ill./Buffalo Grove H.S.) guided the Ball State offense to a .418 (38-10-67) rate of success, recording career-highs of 27 assists, four total blocks (two solo and two assists) and three digs.
"Dan Wichmann came in and did a nice job running our offense tonight," said Ball State head coach Joel Walton. "We kept pressure on Quincy's side of the net, and our defense was in the right place for much of the match. I also though coach Furnish put together a really nice game plan for us."
Freshman libero Tommy Rouse (Carmel, Ind./Cathedral H.S.) added five digs in the victory.
As a team, Ball State limited the Hawks to a .133 (28-18-75) hitting mark. BSU also out-dug Quincy 20-to-15, while holding a 7.5-to-2 edge in total blocks and an 8-to-2 advantage in aces.
Joseph Ascher paced Quincy with seven kills, while Kyle Volstad and Steven Battaglia added six apiece. QU's Tanner Wright turned in a match-high six digs.
The teams battled to a 7-7 tie in the opening frame, before 6-1 run Ball State run gave the hosts a 13-8 edge. Quincy would battle back within two at 14-12, before a kill from senior middle attacker Anders Nelson (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls H.S.) and a Herceg ace gave BSU the next two points. Ball State went on to win the game 25-17 on a Quincy service error.
Ball State pulled out to a 7-1 lead in the opening set, and never looked back, winning the frame 25-18. BSU's largest lead of the game came at the 24-15 mark following back-to-back kills from Wrather. Four rallies later, Wrather scored a set-winning solo block at 25-18.
Quincy remained within one point at the 9-8 mark of the third set, before a kill and back-to-back aces from Herceg gave the Cardinals all the momentum. Ball State led by 10 at the 20-10 mark, before winning the frame 25-17 on Herceg's career-best 12th kill of the match.
The Cardinals and Hawks continue their weekend series Saturday with another 7:30 p.m. first serve at Worthen Arena.
