Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
3-1
Harvard
1-3
Surane Soars With 20 Kills In 3-1 Victory Over Harvard
January 16, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 15 Ball State (3-1) men's volleyball team solidified another close 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-23) victory Friday evening when it welcomed Harvard (1-3) to Worthen Arena. The Cardinals fell short of the Crimson in the first set, but ultimately battled back and closed out the narrow fourth set with a .417 attack percentage.
“I felt like we got really timid in game one, but in games two, three and majority of four, our guys played aggressive,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “You just can't be passive, you need to be aggressive and move your feet when you're passing. I think tonight we had pretty good consistency from our passers, although there were some moments that Harvard went up some runs and it was competitive.”
Junior Brendan Surane soared with a 20 kill night, in addition to earning the Cardinals lone solo block, three block assists and one ace. Other standouts at the line included sophomores Mitch Weiler and Matt Walsh, who each earned two aces on the night. Weiler also stepped up at the net, earning 10 kills, while Walsh marked nine.
A 12 kill effort from senior Marcin Niemczewski helped lift the Cardinals over Harvard through the three consecutive set wins, while the match was closed out from a hardcore attack from senior setter Hiago Garchet. Garchet also posted a team-leading .833 attack percentage, two block assists and an error-free 17 attempted serves.
“It was a great win for us, Hiago was setting the balls into some really good places and I was just doing the best I could and balls were falling tonight,” Surane said of his 20 kill performance.
Defensively, the backcourt was held down by freshman libero Adam Wessel who faced 17 serves, as well as 23 receptions. Surane also got in on the action by earning a .947 reception percentage on 36 attacks faced.
“In general, I think we need to work on the consistency of our passing, consistency in how we're running our offense and our tempo,” Walton said. “I was pleased that we adapted and changed a few things tonight. The guys figured that out and it worked. We were getting some very good block touches later in the match and we were turning transition offense off of those block touches, but there are lot of things we can still work on.”
Despite opening the match with a .189 team attack percentage, the Cardinals steadily increased accuracy over the course of the evening, posting attack percentages of .270, .393, and .417 of the three remaining sets. Ball State also led Harvard in kills (62-51), digs (53-51), and team blocks (10.0-4.5), although both teams were effective at the line, each earning six service aces.
“Winning at home is always important and you need to defend anytime you're at home,” Coach Walton said of the atmosphere of the match. “The other thing that it does for you is that it gets the crowd, whether it's the Ball State crowd or the Muncie community crowd, excited about this team. We want them to come out and support us and enjoy the environment in Worthen Arena every night we play men's volleyball.”
The Ball State men's volleyball team will now utilize the momentum of a three-match win streak to hit the road for a six-match stretch. The trip begins with action at Penn State Jan. 22, followed by Saint Francis on Jan. 23.
“We started off kind of slow last weekend against Stanford, so getting a couple big wins this weekend before going on the road for Penn State and Saint Francis is good momentum for us,” added Surane.
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