Ball State University
15-5 (8-1MIVA)
Mount Olive
8-7 (7-3CC)
In A 3-1 Rebound, Men?s Volleyball Downs Mount Olive
March 13, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – In a 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-19, 25-12) rebound Sunday afternoon, the No. 10 Ball State (15-5, 8-1 MIVA) men's volleyball team earned its highest team attack percentage of the season to down non-conference opponent Mount Olive (8-7, 7-3 CC). Despite dropping the first set, the Cardinals responded by hitting .420 and only let up two lead changes over the course of the four sets.
Junior Brendan Surane dominated the offensive strike by leading the team with four kills in the second set as well as five kills in the second set, ultimately racking up a team-leading 13 kills with a .435 hitting percentage. Edgardo Cartagena got in on the action by downing eight attacks on a .615 percentage, while sophomore Mitch Weiler marked nine kills with a .438 hitting percentage.
The Cardinals hit its lowest team attack percentage of the match in the first set, while the Trojans posted a match-high to seal its lone victory by 25-21. Ball State surged back by hitting .688, .300 and .750 in the three consecutive set wins to post a season-high total of .420. The dominating Cardinals offense forced Mount Olive to hit .130, .088 and -.042.
“Surane showed up and put on a really great performance, and we had some really good performances from guys off the bench, including [Jack] Lesure, [Austin] Overby, and Jeff Hill got some time,” Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said. “Our offense was good and after we were able to just locate a ball and not try to set with a lot of flash, we were able to simplify things and we actually got better.”
The Ball State blocking game was just as aggressive, as it tallied 18.0 total team blocks to the Trojans 5.0. Surane marked one solo block in addition to eight block assists, while junior Alex Pia and sophomore Anthony Lebryk each jumped for five. It was Pia and senior Jack Lesure who teamed up for the final block, earning Ball State the match win.
The Cardinals held the advantage in attack percentage (.420-.123), kills (48-44), total team blocks (18.0-5.0) and digs (24-28), although the pair of non-conference foes were squared away with two service aces each, with Ball State's coming from Surane and Cartagena. The Cardinals also benefitted from Mount Olive's 31 attacking errors while the red and white held to just 11.
“Our schedule has been pretty unusual, and the guys have to look at what each day brings and make sure they are getting in the work that they need to prepare for either the next practice or the next match,” Walton said. “They have to understand that it may be different than what they are used to, but they still need to be functional within that schedule.”
Ball State will briefly return to conference play as it takes on Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foe IPFW on Wednesday evening in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Cardinals will then welcome UC Irvine for another Sunday matinee matchup on March 20 at 2 p.m.
“In regards to our Wednesday match at IPFW, we just need to be ready in that moment, we've got to be ready to play,” Walton added. “Our guys need to expect that we're going to go up to IPFW and see that team play one of their best matches of the season. It's always a night when they look forward to playing us and play very well. It doesn't matter whoever we play in our conference it's going to be a competitive match and we need to continue to approach it with determination and a certain tenacity.”
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