Ball State University Athletics
Men's Volleyball Wins 11-Straight Matches:
June 20, 2016 | Men's Volleyball
Another athletic year is in the books for the Cardinals. Ball State student-athletes, coaches and teams accomplished several notable feats in 2015-16 and left their mark on the university.
Through much discussion, BallStateSports.com has identified the top 10 storylines of the year. We will reveal the storylines one-by-one each Monday for the next 10 weeks. In early August, once they have all been announced, fans will be able to vote for their favorite stories of the year.
The stories will be revealed in chronological order, beginning with the fall season and running through the spring. This week, we will look at the men's volleyball team's 11-match winning streak whcih spanned 36 days ...
Men's Volleyball Wins 11-Straight Matches:
The third of the top 10 storylines from the 2015-16 season is the Ball State men's volleyball program's 11-match winning streak. Spanning 36 days from late January to early March, the streak featured wins over the two-time defending NCAA men's volleyball national champion, as well as the eventual 2016 national champions.
The Cardinals entered a Jan. 29 showdown at New Jersey Institute of Technology on a two-match losing streak and ranked 15th in the AVCA Division I-II Men's Volleyball Top 15 poll with a 3-3 overall record. Ball State would sweep NJIT that night for its first road win of the season, sparking a run which would see the Cardinals improve to 14-3 and climb to eighth in the nation.
Ball State's first four wins of the streak came on the road, including what proved to be one of the biggest victories for any collegiate men's volleyball program over the course of the 2016 season. After dropping the first two sets at then-No. 7 Ohio State (Feb. 6), the Cardinals rallied to win the final three and hand the Buckeyes their first and only home loss of the season. OSU would go on to win its final 23 matches and finish the season as the 2016 NCAA men's volleyball national champion.
Following the win over the Buckeyes, Ball State return to the friendly confines of Worthen Arena for six straight wins, starting with a sweep of in-state rival IPFW (Feb. 11). Two matches later, the Cardinals were able to vanquish another big-time league rival with a 3-1 victory over two-time defending national champion Loyola (Feb. 17). It was the Cardinals' first win over the Ramblers since the 2013 season, and allowed Ball State to remain the only undefeated team in the conference at that point.
The Cardinals ended the homestand with three more league wins, knocking off 2015 NCAA runner-up Lewis (Feb. 18) for the first time since 2013, as well as Quincy (Feb. 25) and Lindenwood (Feb. 26). The team finished the month with a perfect 7-0 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association record.
Ball State started the month of March with its eighth consecutive league win, opening a two-match set at Grand Canyon (March 4) with a hard-fought 3-2 victory. Unfortunately, the 'Lopes answered with a 3-2 victory the following night to end the streak and the Cardinals' bid for a perfect MIVA season.
Previous Storylines:
June 6 - Soccer's Title Run
June 13 - Mike Neu Returns as Football Head Coach
