Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
7-4 (2-2MIVA)
Lewis
11-1 (3-0MIVA)
No. 15 Men?s Volleyball Falls 3-0 To No. 2 Lewis
February 13, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The No. 15 Ball State (7-4, 2-2 MIVA) men's volleyball team was served its second sweep in a row Thursday night in a 3-0 (22-25, 16-25, 15-25) final against No. 2 Lewis (11-1, 3-0 MIVA), while the Flyers continue undefeated in Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association play.
“Tonight we weren't playing where we needed to in order to win that match and we weren't finding ways to manufacture points,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “We dug an early hole and in that time I think we were working to overcome a real big momentum hurdle that our team wasn't able to get back over the top. We just struggled in a lot of different places.”
Leading the Cardinals offensively was junior Marcin Niemczewski with 12 kills on 30 attempts, along with sophomore Brendan Surane who posted five kills on eight attempts for a .500 attack percentage. Surane also marked one of just two Cardinal aces, making it his 17th of the season.
Defensively, senior libero David Ryan Vander Meer notched eight digs and three assists, while freshman Matt Walsh tallied three block assists. Vander Meer also received 22 error-free shots, with senior Matt Sutherland received 23 for a .920 percentage.
“We need to come together as a team, that's the most important thing,” Vander Meer said. “I feel like last week we were playing individually, and we just weren't altogether cohesive. It's going to take us getting together, playing as a team, and most importantly, having fun to be successful.”
Ball State suffered from 12 service errors and 17 attack errors compared to Lewis' seven service errors paired with 11 attack errors. Lewis also started out strong with only allowing one lead change through the first two sets, and although Ball State tried to power back by forcing five in the third set, they failed to gain the momentum needed to power through for a set win.
“We got away from when we were back and forth, or one point up, to looking at a big deficit again,” Walton said. “They have some very physical outside attackers, their setter is doing a great job running the offense and putting the ball where their hitters are comfortable and where they want it. Lewis is a good team, they're playing well and have a lot of experience, and it's a level of play we're trying to get our team to.”
The Flyers held the advantage in kills (39-32), attack percentage (.354 – .179), digs (27-21) and blocks (12.0-5.0), despite falling in total attacks to the Cardinals (84-79).
The Ball State men's volleyball team will be back on the road when they travel to Chicago, Ill. to take on MIVA foe No. 1 Loyola at 7 p.m. central time.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
