Ball State University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Continues Road Action At NJIT & George Mason
January 28, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 15 Ball State (3-3) men's volleyball team will continue action in a six-match road stretch when it takes on NJIT (0-3) Friday night, followed by George Mason (1-4) on Saturday evening. Last weekend, the Cardinals fell to Penn State in a 3-0 (15-25, 18-25, 19-25) final on Friday evening in University Park, Pa. while Sunday's matchup with Saint Francis resulted in a 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 13-15) Flash victory in Palmetto, Pa.
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.
The Cardinals then took on Saint Francis Sunday afternoon instead of Saturday evening when the match was delayed due to the winter storm on the east coast. After a back and forth battle with the Flash, the Cardinals ultimately fell 3-2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-21, 22-25, 13-15).
After dropping the first set 25-21, the Cardinals rebounded to come out victorious in sets two and three with scores of 25-23 and 25-21, respectively. Saint Francis then snuck back with two narrow victories in the fourth and fifth sets to seal the match, with both wins coming in just by two points. The two teams battled through an astounding 48 tie scores as well as 21 lead changes over the course of the five-setter.
Topping the Ball State offense was Surane who notched 14 kills and one ace, as well as Weiler who stood out with 11 kills and four block assists. This is the fourth consecutive match in which Surane has tallied the team-high in kills.
Also at the net, Niemczewski downed eight attacks, while both junior Alex Pia and senior Jack Lesure tallied six a piece. Lesure also marked the second of Ball State's two service aces of the day.
Nationally, Ball State dropped this week from a 14th-ranking to No. 15, and is also ranked eighth overall in blocks per set with 2.50, while Pia is fifth in the nation in blocks per set (1.27).
SCOUTING NJIT: Prior to having a home match with Marymount cancelled due to the winter storm on the east coast, the Highlanders traveled to Santa Barbara, Calif. to participate in the UC Santa Barbara Asics Invitational from Jan. 8-9. NJIT fell to Cal Baptist 3-1, UC Santa Barbara 3-0 and to Cal State Northridge 3-0. With just two seniors on the team, the Highlanders are a relatively young team, having six freshmen on the roster under second season head coach Danny Goncalves. Leading the team is TJ Jurko who sports 37 kills and three service aces, while Raymond Kowalski has earned a season total of 21 kills, three aces and three block assists. The Cardinals most recently earned a victory over NJIT on March 20, 2014 with a 3-1 final.
SCOUTING GEORGE MASON: After hosting UCLA Jan. 5 and falling in a 3-0 sweep, the Patriots have been on the road for four consecutive matches. George Mason fell to UC Irvine and BYU in the AVCA Showcase 3-0 and 3-1, respectively, traveled to Ohio State and fell 3-0 prior to earning its first victory of the season at UCWV in a 3-0 final on Jan. 16. Before taking on the Cardinals on Saturday evening, George Mason will host IPFW in the Recreation & Athletic Complex. First year head coach Jay Hosack also has six freshmen on his roster, while junior Christian Malias leads the team with 53 kills and seven of the team's 25 aces, followed by redshirt senior Paco Velez with 28 kills. Most recently, Ball State fell to George Mason in Muncie on Feb. 7, 2015 in a 3-0 sweep.
Live stats and broadcast will be available for fans unable to attend the matchups at:
LIVE STATS:
Against NJIT: http://www.sidearmstats.com/njit/mvball/
LIVE BROADCAST:
Against George Mason: http://www.gomason.com/liveEvents/liveEvents.dbml?SPID=84995&db_oem_id=25200
Looking ahead, the Ball State men's volleyball team will round out its six-match road stretch by opening Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association action at McKendree and Ohio State on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, respectively.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
