Cardinals Host McKendree in MIVA Tournament Quarterfinal Match

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#11 Ball State vs. McKendree
Saturday, April 14 (7:30 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind.
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MUNCIE, Ind. – The No. 11 Ball State men's volleyball team will kick off the post-season with a quarterfinal match against the McKendree Bearcats Saturday, April 14. The Cardinals earned the three seed in the MIVA tournament securing them home court advantage against the six seeded Bearcats. First serve is set for 7:30 p.m. Tickets are now available by phone or in the ticket center, at the gate or online.

The Cardinals will go into this weekend riding the momentum of a four match win streak. That win streak included a big win over the top seed in the MIVA Tournament, Ohio State. Ball State was down 0-2 to the Buckeyes before making a huge comeback to take down the two-time defending national champions, 3-2. Matt Walsh led the team in that match with 14 kills and nine blocks, earning him the final MIVA Defensive Player of the Week honor.

Home court advantage is a huge plus for the Cardinals, who have only lost two matches at home all season. Ball State is on a nine home match win streak and will look to continue that this weekend.

Scouting McKendree:

This will be the third meeting between the two teams this season and the second one this month. On April 6, Ball State was able to take down the Bearcats in a sweep. In that contest, Matt Szews led the team with his third double-double of the season. He had 14 kills for a .357 hitting percentage along with 10 digs. Mitch Weiler had the highest hitting percentage for the match after hitting for .562 on nine kills. Weiler also had three digs and three blocks on the night. Ben Chinnici had eight kills with seven added by Walsh. Walsh also had six blocks and one service ace against the Bearcats. Parker Swartz added six kills, three block assists and the only two solo blocks for the Cardinals. Jake Romano had 38 assists, seven digs and two kills. Nick LaVanchy, along with Szews, led the team in digs with 10.

The tournament six seed finished the season with an 11-14 overall record, 6-8 in conference play. Three members from McKendree were named to the 2018 All-MIVA teams. Middle blocker Brendan Schmidt earned All-MIVA First Team with outside hitter Nolan Rueter named All-MIVA Second Team and Patrick Ross placed on the All-Freshman Team.

MIVA Tournament:

Last season the Cardinals hosted Loyola in the conference quarterfinals. Ball State was able to take down the Ramblers, 3-1. Blake Reardon led the way with 11 kills and two aces. Szews added 11 kills with eight added by Parker Swartz.

The Cardinals then traveled to Columbus, Ohio to take on the top-seeded Buckeyes. Ball State fell in a heartbreaking fashion, 3-2. Reardon led the way in that contest as well with 14 kills. Walsh added 12 kills with nine from Szews.

In this year's tournament Ohio State earned the number one seed once again with Loyola taking the two seed. Ball State was able to secure the three seed with the win over Ohio State giving the four seed to Lewis. Fort Wayne was placed in the five spot and McKendree in the sixth spot. Rounding out this year's bracket is Lindenwood as the seven seed and Quincy as the eight seed. The quarterfinals will be played April 14. The better seed will host each match in the MIVA Tournament. Unlike in previous years, the 2018 tournament will not reseed after the quarterfinals. The semifinals are set for April 18. The MIVA Championship will be played April 21.

Cardinal Facts:

Matt Walsh, Mitch Weiler, Jake Romano and Ben Chinnici were the four Cardinals were named to the 2018 All-MIVA Teams announced earlier this week.

Walsh was named to the All-MIVA First Team for the second straight year. The senior is currently fourth in the conference in hitting percentage (.387) and second in blocks per set (1.18). The middle hitter is also ranked seventh nationally in blocks per set this season. Walsh has 253 kills, 125 total blocks, 32 service aces, 29 digs and 353.5 total points during the 2018 regular season. The Chicago native is currently ranked in 12 different statistical categories in the Ball State record books.

Weiler and Romano were the two Cardinals named to the All-MIVA Second Team. This marks the second time Weiler was named to an All-MIVA team. He was named All-MIVA Honorable Mention in the 2016 season. The outside hitter currently leads the Cardinals in digs this season with 198. He is also ranked nationally in digs per set. Weiler's name can be found in seven different places throughout the Ball State record books. Romano has earned two MIVA player of the week honors this season. The sophomore setter is eighth in school history in career assists (805) and seventh in career assists per set (7.06). For this season, Romano is also nationally ranked in both those categories.

The Ball State member on the All-Freshmen Team was Ben Chinnici. In his 72 sets of play this season, the outside hitter had notched 155 kills for an average of 2.15 kills per set. He also has 31 total blocks, 104 digs, eight service aces and eight assists for the season.

For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State men's volleyball team, please follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMVB.

Cardinals Host McKendree in MIVA Tournament Quarterfinal Match

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Players Mentioned

Ben Chinnici

Nick LaVanchy

Blake Reardon

Jake Romano

Parker Swartz

Matt Szews

Matt Walsh

Mitch Weiler