Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
8-3 (3-0MIVA)
IPFW
4-7 (0-3MIVA)
Men?s Volleyball Extends Win Streak To Five With IPFW Sweep
February 12, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 13 Ball State (8-3, 3-0 MIVA) men's volleyball team extended its match win streak to five in a row on Thursday evening when it downed Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association opponent IPFW (4-7, 0-3 MIVA) with a 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-18) final in Worthen Arena.
“It was a good team effort tonight. We started to win the long rallies later on, and I like seeing our guys control the tempo,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “We won in three straight, but we gave away leads tonight. Consistency is still something we have to work on.”
Junior Alex Pia stood out when he opened the second set with back-to-back unassisted kills, helping Ball State trigger a 11-3 run against the Mastodons to open the set. The third set was all Ball State's control, with no lead changes or tie scores, despite posting narrow finals in the first two sets. The Cardinals marked a solid .400 team attack percentage in the third game to close out the match.
Overall, junior Mike Scannell topped the Ball State box score with 10 kills on the night, followed by sophomore Mitch Weiler who downed eight attacks. Freshman Parker Swartz topped the team with a perfect attack percentage on two kills in addition to earning the lone Ball State ace.
“Coming into this match it is a big rivalry, especially in the state, and we wanted to get off to a fast start since we have been getting into five sets the past few weekends,” Weiler said. “Being 2-0 in the MIVA already, this match was important, and getting this win was even bigger. Barton has a lot of new players, so going into the game tomorrow we need to focus on serves.”
Defensively, freshman libero Adam Wessel took on 13 digs, while Pia led the Cardinals blocking game with six block assists. Scannell got in on the action at the net by tallying one solo block, paired with three block assists, helping the Cardinals earn 9.5 total team blocks on the night.
Ball State dominated the Mastodons both offensively and defensively, by holding the advantage in kills (41-35), attack percentage (.303-.127) and total team blocks (9.5-5.5). The Cardinals only fell to the 'Dons in service aces, of which IPFW benefitted from five to Swartz' single. Ball State also continued to take advantage of the opponents attack errors, of which IPFW sacrificed 22 in the three sets, while the Cardinals held to just 14.
“Every win is important; and it's amplified because we are playing at home,” Walton added. “We are undefeated in the MIVA, and it's for sure where we want to be, although every one of these matches that we play in the league these next few weeks are extremely important because it's going to play a part later in the season.”
Looking ahead, the Cardinals will continue its six match home stand by welcoming Barton (6-2, 4-2 CC) to Worthen Arena tomorrow evening. The non-conference matchup is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
