Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
13-16
MIVA Quarterfinals vs. Ohio State
22-8
Men?s Volleyball Season Ends In 3-0 Loss
April 25, 2015 | Men's Volleyball
COLUMBUS, Ohio - - The Ball State (13-16, 6-11 MIVA) men's volleyball team fell to No. 10 Ohio State (22-8, 12-5 MIVA) in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament quarterfinal with a 3-0 (16-25, 25-27, 19-25) final on Friday night. The loss marked the second time the Cardinals were swept by the Buckeyes this season, while Ball State downed a 3-0 final to Ohio State at home earlier this year.
In the season ending loss, the Cardinals offensive lines were led by junior Marcin Niemczewski who posted 14 kills, five digs, and two block assists, along with senior Matt Sutherland who tallied seven kills on a .300 attack percentage, seven digs and two block assists.
Defensively, freshman Matt Walsh marked three of his own block assists with an additional five kills, and libero David Ryan Vander Meer tallied 12 digs. Setter Hiago Garchet also posted two block assists and 26 assists throughout the three-set match. Senior Shane Witmer received an error-free 17 shots, while Sutherland took on 30 with a .968 percentage.
Ball State suffered from nine service errors and 16 attack errors compared to the Buckeyes' 11 service errors paired with 10 attack errors. Ohio State also only allowed a total of seven lead changes throughout the three sets, and led with three aces, while the Cardinals were unable to capitalize on the serve.
The second set was a battle for the two teams, going into extra points and tallying 15 tied scores and five lead changes over the course of the set. It was also the closest set in attacking terms, with Ball State posting a .308 attack percentage to Ohio State's .326.
The Buckeyes held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, including kills (46-36), attack percentage (.346-.198), digs (43-40), blocks (7.5-7.0), and total attacks over the Cardinals (104-101) in the course of the three-set match.
Over the course of the 2015 campaign, sophomore Brendan Surane marked a team-high attack percentage of .418 as well as 30 service aces. Niemczewski earned 240 kills in the 30 matches for a .205 hitting percentage and 3.04 kills per set, while Vander Meer led the Cardinals with 230 digs. Walsh was also a team leader, with 129 blocks in his freshman season.
The Ohio State men's volleyball team will move on in MIVA tournament play when they take on the winner of second seeded Loyola and seventh seeded Quincy in the semifinals on Apr. 28.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
