Ball State University
14-5
UCLA
18-3
Men?s Volleyball Rounds Out Road Trip In 3-0 Loss To No. 4 UCLA
March 08, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – In a Monday night matchup in Pauley Pavilion, the No. 10 Ball State (14-5, 8-1 MIVA) men's volleyball team fell to non-conference foe No. 4 UCLA (18-3, 13-3 MPSF) in a 3-0 (19-25, 18-25, 20-25) sweep.
Junior Mike Scannell opened the first set with seven kills, on his way to totaling to a team-high of 12 and leading the Cardinals for the second consecutive match. Junior Brendan Surane got in on the offensive action by marking seven total kills, while senior setter Hiago Garchet earned the lone Ball State service ace in addition to racking up 27 assists over the course of the three sets. Garchet also squared up and tallied 12 error-free serves on the night, while at the net, sophomore Matt Walsh matched junior Alex Pia by marking two block assists each.
Although the Cardinals' offense started out slow, Ball State battled back with a .450 team attack percentage in the third set, but the Bruins reached just past to post a .458 percentage to seal the sweep. UCLA ultimately held the advantage in total attack percentage on the night by a .430-.160 edge.
The Bruins are the highest ranked opponent the Cardinals have faced thus far in the season, but were comparable with the west coast powerhouse. Although UCLA held the advantage in kills (45-29), aces (6-1) and digs (20-16), the pair of non-conference rivals were matched up with 4.0 total team blocks, and ultimately battled through 14 tie scores and six lead changes.
Ball State will continue non-conference play by welcoming Mount Olive to Worthen Arena on Sunday, March 13 for a 2 p.m. matinee matchup.
For the most up-to-date news on Ball State men's volleyball action, follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB on Twitter and Instagram.
