Ball State University Athletics
Spring Break Trip Brings Men's Volleyball To Arizona, California
March 02, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The No. 8 Ball State (13-3, 7-0 MIVA) men's volleyball team will hit the road to take on Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association foe Grand Canyon (9-7, 2-4 MIVA) in Phoenix, Ariz. on March 4 and 5, followed by No. 4 UCLA (15-3, 11-3 PAC-12) March 7.
Last weekend, the Cardinals hosted Quincy and Lindenwood and successfully downed the MIVA opponents in a pair of sweeps to remain undefeated in conference play and extend its match win streak to ten in a row.
The first set on Thursday evening against the Hawks was speckled with an astounding five service aces from the Ball State squad, including two apiece from junior Brendan Surane and junior Mike Scannell, while the teams breezed through just two lead changes in the process of closing out a 25-16 final in the first set.
The third set was when sophomore Matt Walsh really ramped up the Ball State blocking game, as he downed seven Quincy attacks for a three set total of 10. Surane was consistent throughout the match as he posted four kills in each game for a match total and team high of 12. Junior Alex Pia also stood out in the attack as he earned four kills with a perfect 1.000 attack percentage, helping the Cardinals ultimately finish with a team attack percentage of .273 in the 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-18) sweep of the Hawks.
The Cardinals then followed up the effort with a 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-15) sweep of Lindenwood Friday night.
Helping the Cardinals to remain undefeated in conference play was senior Marcin Niemczewski, as he led the team with 12 kills, two blocks and downed all three of Ball State's service aces. The three aces, two of which were back-to-back early in the first set, are a new season-high for the Vernon Hills, Ill. native, while the 12 kills ties his second best of the season.
Defensively, Walsh followed up his 10 block performance against Quincy with an additional seven blocks against the Lions, leading the Cardinals to a team block total of 10.5 on the night. Walsh teamed up at the net with sophomore Mitch Weiler who stopped six Lindenwood attacks, the pair controlling the Ball State defense that pressured Lindenwood to sacrifice 34 attacking errors, while the Cardinals held to just 12.
Nationally, Ball State improved this week from a 9th-place ranking to No. 8, the highest of the season thus far, and is also ranked third overall in blocks per set with 2.84. In conference action, Ball State is the lone team to remain undefeated, as the Cardinals are currently 7-0 in MIVA play.
Individually, Walsh is fourth overall in the conference with 1.11 blocks per set, while Wessel holds a 2.43 digs per set average, placing him third overall in the MIVA as well.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON: The 'Lopes are currently 9-7 on the season and hold a 2-4 record in MIVA action, with the conference wins coming in the form of a 3-0 sweep over Lewis and a 3-1 final against Quincy. Ball State holds the all-time advantage over Grand Canyon at 12-3, although the Cardinals have only swept the 'Lopes on three occasions. This year's top standout for Grand Canyon includes Gerrard Lipscombe, who tallies 153 kills and 18 aces, while Shalev Saada marks 101 kills and a team-leading 24 aces. Defensively, Ashton King is a powerhouse at the net with 58 total blocks, while Sky Engleman has earned a total of 115 digs in 45 sets played. In the conference standings, Engleman sits in second with 2.45 digs per set, as well as third in total digs with his 115. Christian Ward has earned 1.10 blocks per set to sit fifth in the conference, while Saada's .70 aces per set leads the MIVA. Michael Milstein is the fifth individual to sit in the top five of the conference for the 'Lopes as he boasts 9.31 assists per set average for fifth overall.
SCOUTING No. 4 UCLA: The Bruins hold a 15-3 record on the season, including an 11-3 mark in Pac-12 conference play. The losses of the season came after Hawaii downed UCLA 3-1, UC Irvine was victorious in a 3-2 final, and when Stanford came ahead with a 3-1 win. Jake Arnitz leads the team with 186 kills, while Micah Ma'a boasts 158 kills paired with 38 of the team's 132 serving aces. Four different players mark over 100 kills, while Mitch Stahl leads the blocking game with 88 total blocks, as the Bruins are out-blocking its opponents 182.5-126.0. Nationally, UCLA is fourth in blocks per set (2.64), fifth in assists per set (12.32), and Stahl sits fourth in the nation with 1.35 blocks per set. No. 4 UCLA is the highest ranked team the Cardinals have faced this season, although the most recent matchup between the two schools was Jan. 14, 2011 at the Outrigger Invitational in Hawaii. Ball State fell to the then-No. 8 Bruins 3-1 (22-25, 20-25, 25-23, 28-30). UCLA features a young roster that includes just one redshirt junior, while six freshmen join the squad.
Live stats and broadcast will be available for fans unable to attend the matchups at:
UCLA:
Live Stats: http://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?t=1&gid=ucla
Live Radio Broadcast: http://www.uclabruins.com/mediaPortal/player.dbml?type=live&db_oem_id=30500
Pac-12 Broadcast: http://pac-12.com/live
Looking ahead, the Ball State men's volleyball team will welcome UC Irvine to Worthen Arena on Sunday, March 13 for a 2 p.m. non-conference matchup.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
