Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
5-2
Pfeiffer
0-1
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ball State | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
| Pfeiffer | 19 | 23 | 23 | 0 |
Men's Volleyball Scores Saturday Sweep At Pfeiffer
January 28, 2012 | Men's Volleyball
MISENHEIMER, NC - - The Ball State men's volleyball team completed its tour of the Carolinas with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-23) sweep of Pfeiffer Saturday afternoon at Merner Gym.
With the win, the Cardinals up their record to 5-2 before they open Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play Thursday with a 7:30 p.m. first serve versus No. 14 Loyola at Worthen Arena.
A trio of Cardinals finished the match tied for team-high honors with eight kills, including junior right side attacker Greg Herceg (Lakewood, Ohio/St. Ignatius), junior outside attacker Larry Wrather (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forrest H.S.) and sophomore middle attacker Kevin Owens (Fishers, Ind./Cathedral H.S.).
Owens and Wrather also posted strong hitting numbers, with marks of .462 (8-2-13) and .438 (8-1-16), respectively. Redshirt junior middle attacker Matt Leske (Highwood, Ill./Highland Park) led all players with five blocks, while Owens added four.
Sophomore setter Graham McIlvaine (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central) guided BSU to its best hitting mark of the young season at .282 (36-14-78) by handing out 29 assists. He also tallied four digs, three kills and three block assists.
Freshman outside hitter Shane Witmer (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) scored a match-high six digs.
Pfeiffer's (0-1) offense was paced by Quentin Moore's 12 kills, while Caleb Brophy added 11. Moore also tied for match-high honors with six digs, while adding four blocks.
For the match, the Cardinals limited the Falcons' offense to a .205 (36-19-83) rate of success, while out-blocking the hosts 10-5. Both team logged 24 digs.
Pfeiffer, which was playing its first match of the year, scored the first two points of the contest only to have BSU tie the score at 3-3. With the score knotted at 8-8, the Cardinals went on a 10-2 run to take control of the set. Ball State went on to win the frame 25-19 on a kill from Herceg.
Ball State lead 9-4 early in the second stanza, only to see Pfeiffer battle back and tie the score at 16. With the score knotted at 22, McIlvaine provided a kill and combined for a block to give BSU set-point at 24-22. After an attack error extended the frame, a Falcons service error gave the Cardinals the game at 25-23.
The Cardinals scored four of the first five points in the third game, only see the Falcons claw back and eventually tie the score at 15. With the score tied at 20, back-to-back Pfeiffer points gave the hosts a 22-20 edge. However, the Cardinals answered with the next four points and went on to win the set 25-23 on a Wrather kill.
