Ball State University
6-1 (1-0MIVA)
Quincy
5-3 (0-1MIVA)
Men?s Volleyball Sweeps Quincy In Conference Play
January 31, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The No. 14 Ball State (6-1, 1-0 MIVA) men's volleyball team returned to Worthen Arena Friday evening after a weekend on the road to open Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play against Quincy (5-3, 0-1 MIVA). The Cardinals served up a 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-14) final to the Hawks to make it Ball State's second sweep in a row, third of the season.
Junior outside attacker Marcin Niemczewski topped the Cardinal offense with a recorded nine kills on 15 attempts while racking up six digs, three blocks, and one ace throughout the match. He was paired up with senior outside attacker Matt Sutherland who tallied seven kills, four digs, and received 18 error-free shots on the night. They were assisted by junior setter Hiago Garchet who recorded 28 assists on 61 attempts for a .459 set percentage.
“One way Quincy was going to get with us was if they could get their serving going and get our offense running from off the net,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “I was very pleased with how our team responded tonight and put the ball right on the money and how our offense ran great efficiency tonight.”
Defensively, the Cardinals were led by senior outside attacker Shane Witmer who received 11 error-free shots, while he also served up one of eight Ball State service aces in the match, with sophomore outside attacker Brendan Surane marking four service aces for a season total of 13, top of the team. Surane also tallied four kills, two solo blocks, and three block assists at the net. Senior libero David Ryan Vander Meer posted seven digs to improve his season total to 61 in 24 sets.
Ball State benefitted from Quincy's -.011 attack percentage, while the Cardinals held a .382 throughout the three-set match. Ball State also held the advantage in kills (34-26), blocks (10.5-2.0), and digs (29-23). The Cardinals only forfeited three lead changes through the course of the night and kept a clean attack with only eight errors to Quincy's 27.
“I thought our serving was very consistent, our defense was really well today with our team getting balls that the other team couldn't, and our offense was on fire,” Niemczewski said. “Lindenwood is a tough opponent, but we're ready for them to come in just as strong as last year, and we're preparing our best. I'm hoping tonight was good motivation to come out just as strong tomorrow and win.”
The Ball State men's volleyball team will continue the weekend-opening conference play when they take on Lindenwood on Saturday, Jan. 31, with first serve set for 7:30 p.m.
“It's a home conference match, and so it's really critical that we get off to a good start and maintain momentum all the way through,” Coach Walton went on. “The biggest thing is that the guys need to prepare tomorrow, it's a really important match and it doesn't matter if we're playing Lindenwood, Lewis, Loyola or Ohio State. You have got to win conference matches at home, and you need to take care of business here to get to the places you want to be at the end of the season.”
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