Ball State University
5-1, 0-0MIVA
Sacred Heart
1-2, 0-0EIVA
Men?s Volleyball Sweeps Sacred Heart 3-0
January 25, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - - The No. 14 Ball State (5-1) men's volleyball team rebounded from Friday night's loss when it served up a 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-11) sweep to Sacred Heart (1-2) Saturday evening.
Junior outside attack Marcin Niemczewski topped the Cardinal offense with a recorded 10 kills on 24 attempts while racking up six digs throughout the match. He was joined in the ranks by senior outside attack Matt Sutherland who tallied seven kills for a .700 attack percentage while he also posted six digs on the night. They were assisted by junior setter Hiago Garchet who recorded 25 assists on 57 attempts for a .439 set percentage.
“Our blocking game was on point tonight,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “It was nice to see the guys perform at this level tonight after how they struggled last night. It will make a long bus trip home a little bit better.”
Defensively, the Cardinals were led by senior outside attack Shane Witmer who received 15 error-free shots, while he also served up one of just two Ball State service aces in the match, with junior outside attack Jack Lesure marking the other. At the net, freshman Matt Walsh stopped 14 attacks with one solo block and 13 block assists, as senior libero David Ryan Vander Meer posted 6 digs.
Ball State benefitted from Sacred Heart's -.071 attack percentage, while the Cardinals held a .303 throughout the three-set match. Ball State also held the advantage in kills (32-27) and blocks (23.0-4.0), despite falling in digs to the Pioneers (31-27). The Cardinals only forfeited four lead changes through the course of the night and kept a clean attack with only nine errors to Sacred Heart's 34.
The Ball State men's volleyball team will return back to Worthen Arena to open Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference play against Quincy University on Friday, Jan. 30 and Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 31. Both matches are set for 7:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
