Ball State University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Begins 2012 Campaign This Weekend
January 11, 2012 | Men's Volleyball
►THE WEEK AHEAD: The Ball State men's volleyball team opens its 2012 campaign Friday with a 7 p.m. first serve at St. Francis . . . The match will serve as the season-opener for both squads . . . BSU will continue its brief two-match road stint Saturday, with a 7 p.m. first serve at George Mason.
►FOLLOW THE ACTION: Live stats and live video will be available for both of Ball State's matches this weekend . . . Fans can follow Friday's action versus St. Francis with live stats and live video through www.sfuathletics.com . . . Saturday, George Mason will offer live stats and live video which can be accessed with your Ball State All Access Pass, as the Patriots are also a member of the JumpTV family.
►CARDINALS ALL-TIME: Men's volleyball officially became a varsity sport at Ball State during the 1964 season . . . Since becoming a varsity sport, the men's volleyball program has amassed an 1,053-421-8 overall record for a .713 winning percentage in 48 seasons . . . Men's volleyball joins baseball and men's basketball 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 entering the 2012 season with an 1,217-282 all-time record over 49 years.
►LOOKING FOR 250: Joel Walton enters his 14th season as the Ball State men's volleyball head coach with a 249-136 all-time record . . . He has led the program to six 20-win seasons and has had the team ranked in the final AVCA Coaches poll 11 times.
►THE All-TIME SERIES: The Cardinals hold a 10-3 lead in the all-time series against St. Francis, including five straight victories . . . Last season, BSU scored a 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-20) win in Loretto, Pa. (March 19) and a 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 25-20) victory in Muncie (April 16) . . . Ball State holds a 39-25 advantage in the all-time series against George Mason, including wins in four of the last five matches . . . Last season, BSU suffered a 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 34-32, 25-21) setback in Fairfax, Va. (Jan. 28), before rallying for a 3-1 (25-20, 25-27, 25-11, 25-17) home win (March 5).
►SCOUTING THE CARDINALS: Ball State returns 11 players, including three starters and the libero, from last season's squad which posted a 19-11 (7-5 MIVA) record . . . BSU finished the 2011 season ranked first in the nation with a 3.07 blocks-per-set average.
►PACING THE ATTACK: BSU does return its leading attacker from a year ago in junior Larry Wrather, who earned Second Team All-MIVA accolades for his efforts . . . Wrather paced the squad with 250 kills and a 2.63 kills-per-set average . . . He blasted double-figure kills in a team-high 12 matches, including a season-high 17 kills versus UCLA (Jan. 14).
►SETTING BSU UP: After a solid freshman campaign, in which he started 22 of BSU's 30 matches, sophomore setter Graham McIlvaine was named to the Preseason All-MIVA Team as voted on by the league's seven head coaches . . . McIlvaine passed out a career-high 54 assists at Lewis (Feb. 11) and had three assists/dig double-doubles . . . He also ranked third on the team with 72 total blocks.
►ON THE RIGHT: BSU's most experienced position entering the 2012 season will be on the right side, as junior Greg Herceg and redshirt junior Jamion Hartley both return to the roster . . . Herceg ranked fourth on the team last season with 172 kills, while his 0.23 aces-per-set average was second on the team and 13th in the league . . . Hartley blasted 130 kills last season and added 33 total blocks.
►IN THE BACK ROW: Sophomore libero Tommy Rouse earned First Team All-MIVA accolades last season after leading the league with a 2.11 digs-per-set average in conference play . . . His season average of 2.26 digs per set second in the MIVA and 12th nationally . . . Rouse collected double-figure digs in 12 matches last season, including a career-high 18 at George Mason (Jan. 28).
