Ball State University Athletics
MIVA Tournament Set In Columbus For Men's Volleyball
April 22, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's volleyball team (13-15, 6-10 MIVA) will begin action in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament against No. 10 Ohio State (21-8, 11-5 MIVA) Friday at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The Cardinals have earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament, while the Buckeyes hold the No. 3 seed. The winner of the match will move on to the semifinals on Apr. 28, and play the winner of second seeded Loyola and seventh seeded Quincy.
Ball State has since had a week off to prepare for the conference tournament, following the final match of the regular season against MIVA foe McKendree. In the 3-1 (22-25, 25-16, 25-23, 25-18) win that broke a six match losing streak for the Cardinals, senior Matt Sutherland topped the offensive lines with a recorded 12 kills on a .429 attack percentage while racking up four digs throughout the match. He was joined in the ranks by junior Marcin Niemczewski who tallied 11 kills for a .455 attack percentage while he also posted two of the three Cardinals aces on the night. The final ace came from sophomore Brendan Surane, while he also tallied 11 kills with a .316 percentage and four total blocks.
Over the course of the season, Ball State has earned MIVA Defensive Player of the Week honors three times including two in a row from freshman Matt Walsh (Jan. 20, Jan. 27) and junior Hiago Garchet (Mar. 3). Walsh is also one of eight players in the nation to be recognized as an Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Freshman All-American, after earning the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Freshman of the Week honors back in January.
SCOUTING No. 10 OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes hold a 21-8 record on the season, including a 11-5 MIVA record, earning them a No. 3 seed in the tournament. Ohio State holds the 92-82 all-time advantage over Ball State, with the Cardinals going 55-54 on the road. Earlier this season, Ball State was able to sweep the Buckeyes 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-23) in Worthen Arena, although they were then swept by the Buckeyes 3-0 (17-25, 18-25, 28-30) when they traveled to St. John Arena.
Ohio State holds a 14-1 record at home this season, with the lone loss coming from No. 4 Loyola, and the Buckeyes only sacrificed nine sets at home on the year. Standouts for Ohio State include both Michael Henchy and Nicolas Szerszen, who post 38 and 36 aces, respectively, while Henchy also holds a team-high of 309 kills over Szerszen's 296 kills. Szerszen was also named to the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Freshman All-America Team, and has earned two MIVA Player of the Week awards (Feb. 17, Mar. 10), while Christy Blough ranks fourth in the nation in assists per set at 11.05. The Buckeyes were riding a five match win streak, prior to being swept by Lewis and Loyola to close out the regular season.
Live Stats and Broadcast will be available for fans unable to attend this weekend's matchup at:
OHIO STATE:
Live Broadcast: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/collegesportslive/?media=495430
Live Stats: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/gametracker/launch/gt_mvolley.html?event=1379646&school=osu&sport=mvolley&camefrom=&startschool=&
Admission for the MIVA tournament game at Ohio State is $5 for adults, $3 for youth, and free for all Ohio State and Ball State students with a valid student ID. Parking at St. John Arena is also free for all fans.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
