Ball State University
9-3 (3-0MIVA)
Barton
6-3 (4-2CC)
Men?s Volleyball Earns Second Consecutive Sweep In 3-0 Final
February 13, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 13 Ball State (9-3, 3-0 MIVA) men's volleyball team swept non-conference opponent Barton (6-3, 4-2 CC) Friday evening in Worthen arena in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-17) final. The victory extends Ball State's win streak to six, with junior Mike Scannell leading the offensive attack.
For the second night in a row, Scannell topped the Ball State box score with 12 kills, on a .429 attack percentage. Scannell was well rounded in the Cardinals second consecutive sweep, as he also earned two of Ball State's five service aces, five block assists and one dig.
“We have done some things before the game to fire us up and we've been really sticking together,” Scannell said of the team's winning dynamic. “We have just been focusing in on coming together after every point, win or lose, and keeping that mentality we are going to go after that next play and not play timid. We are just going to go after every ball we can and be 100% aggressive. That's really the key.”
Other offensive standouts included junior Brendan Surane, who notched six kills, as well as sophomore Mitch Weiler who marked a .308 attack percentage leading to six kills. Other Ball State aces came at critical times throughout the matchup from senior setter Hiago Garchet and sophomore Matt Walsh, as well as freshman Parker Swartz' to open the third set to send Ball State on a four point streak.
Defensively, junior Alex Pia was dynamic at the net, pairing up to earn six block assists, while Garchet and Surane each earned solo blocks, leading to a Ball State team block total of 13.0 in the sweep. Pia now leads the team with 51 total blocks this season, and a 1.11 blocks per set average.
“Barton has some very experienced players from a lot of different countries. We had to do some things with our game plan to keep our guys focused and to be successful,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “To give our guys credit, we did a nice job of making Barton uncomfortable, and our block and serve got them off balance.”
Ultimately, Ball State continued to take advantage of its opponents attack errors, as they benefitted from Barton's 25 on the night. The Cardinals held to just eight, its least of the season, and now holds the advantage in attack errors to its opponents 188-279 thus far. Ball State ultimately held the advantage in attack percentage (.383-.111), service aces (5-1), and significantly in blocks (13.0-4.0) over the Bulldogs.
Looking ahead, the Cardinals will continue its six match home stand by welcoming Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foe No. 5 Loyola (7-3, 2-1) to Worthen Arena Wednesday, Feb. 17. They will then face No. 14 Lewis Feb. 18, and will hold a team poster signing session after the match.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
