Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
3-2, 0-0
Penn State
3-2, 0-0
Men?s Volleyball Falls In Road Opener To Penn State
January 23, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 14 Ball State (3-2) men's volleyball team played its first game on the road of the 2016 season when it took on the No. 10 Penn State (3-2) Nittany Lions in Rec Hall. After a slow start with an attack percentage of .107 in the first set, the Cardinals were able to improve to .250 and .300 in the second and third sets, respectively, but ultimately fell to the Nittany Lions in a 3-0 (15-25, 18-25, 19-25) sweep.
Junior Brendan Surane continued to lead the offensive lines when he posted eight kills, paired with one of the Cardinals two aces of the night. Surane combined with sophomore Mitch Weiler, who earned seven kills, while senior Marcin Niemczewski earned six kills over the course of the three sets, in addition to a team-leading three block assists.
Sophomore Matt Walsh continued to be dynamic at the net when he earned six kills and the second Ball State ace back at the line. Freshman Parker Swartz also stood out in the Cardinals offensive onslaught by marking a perfect 1.000 attack percentage in the two sets in which he performed, improving his season average to a team-leading .667 through 11 sets.
Stopping the oncoming Penn State attacks at the net with Niemczewski was junior Alex Pia, who tallied three block assists in addition to one kill. Defensively, freshman libero Adam Wessel took on six digs, while senior setter Hiago Garchet helped with four additional digs along with 27 assists on the night.
Penn State finalized the matchup with an outstanding .442 team attack percentage, while Ball State earned a team average of .211. The Nittany Lions also led the statistical categories including kills (45-31), total team blocks (9.0-3.0), digs (29-15) and aces (6-2).
The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround when they are back on the court to face Saint Francis tomorrow evening in Loretto, Pa. at 7 p.m.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
