Friday, January 18
Muncie, Ind.
7:00 PM
Ball State University
vs
#12 UC Santa Barbara
Cardinals Face UCSB, CSUN in Don Shondell Active Ankle Challenge
January 17, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – The No. 14 Ball State University men's volleyball team is back in action at Worthen Arena this weekend as it prepares to face No. 12 UC Santa Barbara and No. 10 Cal State Northridge as part of the Don Shondell Active Ankle Challenge on Friday and Saturday.
GAME INFO
Ball State vs UC Santa Barbara
Friday, Jan. 18 (7 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats
Ball State vs Cal State Northridge
Saturday, Jan. 19 (7 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos enter Friday's contest on a three-match skid like the Cardinals. UCSB owns a .500 record with wins over Harvard, Grand Canyon and Concordia. Santa Barbara is the No. 12 team in the country and is led by Corey Chavers who has 65 kills on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
UC Santa Barbara holds a 17-3 series lead against Ball State all time. The Gauchos and Cardinals last met on March 10, 2018 when UCSB claimed a 3-0 victory.
ABOUT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
The Matadors currently hold a ranking of No. 10 on a 4-1 record and will face Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday before Saturday's match in Muncie. CSUN owns wins against ranked opponents No. 12 Concordia and No. 2 UCLA to date. Dimitar Kalchev leads Northridge with 65 kills.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State trails the all-time series with CSUN by a margin of 6-12. The Cardinals last met up with the Matadors in 2012 and Northridge secured a 3-0 win.
AVCA TOP-15 POLL
QUOTES
"I like this year's schedule because of the variety of teams we're playing. We're playing a very tough schedule with many top-15 ranked programs. We have a combination of good challenges at home and challenges on the road. This is a schedule that truly is taking us from one end of the country to the other. From Harvard out in Boston all the way to Hawaii, and then the matches we're returning to Stanford and BYU are exciting matches. We're especially excited for that BYU match because it's a great place to play with the passion that the people at BYU have for men's volleyball. It will be a fun environment for our guys to play in."
-Coach Walton on the 2019 schedule
"I hope that Muncie will come out and support the Don Shondell Active Ankle Challenge this year. We've got some great teams participating in that, and it would mean a lot to have the community come out and show their support for those few nights."
-Coach Walton on hosting the Active Ankle Challenge
"Every win we get this year we will have earned. This schedule will help our guys be seasoned and understand what it takes to play at a high level. By the end of the year, whatever rank we hold and whatever position we stand in will be what we've earned."
-Coach Walton on the challenges of the 2019 season
For all the latest on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateMVB on social media and visit BallStateSports.com.
GAME INFO
Ball State vs UC Santa Barbara
Friday, Jan. 18 (7 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats
Ball State vs Cal State Northridge
Saturday, Jan. 19 (7 p.m. ET)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats
ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos enter Friday's contest on a three-match skid like the Cardinals. UCSB owns a .500 record with wins over Harvard, Grand Canyon and Concordia. Santa Barbara is the No. 12 team in the country and is led by Corey Chavers who has 65 kills on the year.
SERIES HISTORY
UC Santa Barbara holds a 17-3 series lead against Ball State all time. The Gauchos and Cardinals last met on March 10, 2018 when UCSB claimed a 3-0 victory.
ABOUT CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
The Matadors currently hold a ranking of No. 10 on a 4-1 record and will face Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday before Saturday's match in Muncie. CSUN owns wins against ranked opponents No. 12 Concordia and No. 2 UCLA to date. Dimitar Kalchev leads Northridge with 65 kills.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State trails the all-time series with CSUN by a margin of 6-12. The Cardinals last met up with the Matadors in 2012 and Northridge secured a 3-0 win.
AVCA TOP-15 POLL
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | 2019 Record | Previous Week |
| 1 | Long Beach State (16) | 240 | 5-0 | 1 |
| 2 | UC Irvine | 218 | 5-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Hawai'i | 211 | 3-0 | 4 |
| 4 | BYU | 189 | 2-0 | T-5 |
| 5 | Pepperdine | 164 | 4-0 | T-5 |
| 6 | UCLA | 156 | 4-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Loyola-Chicago | 134 | 3-1 | 8 |
| 8 | Lewis | 123 | 3-1 | 9 |
| 9 | Stanford | 121 | 4-0 | 11 |
| 10 | CSUN | 98 | 4-1 | 12 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 79 | 2-2 | 7 |
| 12 | UC Santa Barbara | 75 | 3-2 | 10 |
| 13 | Purdue Fort Wayne | 51 | 4-0 | 13 |
| 14 | Ball State | 18 | 2-3 | 14 |
| 15 | Grand Canyon | 16 | 3-2 | 15 |
QUOTES
"I like this year's schedule because of the variety of teams we're playing. We're playing a very tough schedule with many top-15 ranked programs. We have a combination of good challenges at home and challenges on the road. This is a schedule that truly is taking us from one end of the country to the other. From Harvard out in Boston all the way to Hawaii, and then the matches we're returning to Stanford and BYU are exciting matches. We're especially excited for that BYU match because it's a great place to play with the passion that the people at BYU have for men's volleyball. It will be a fun environment for our guys to play in."
-Coach Walton on the 2019 schedule
"I hope that Muncie will come out and support the Don Shondell Active Ankle Challenge this year. We've got some great teams participating in that, and it would mean a lot to have the community come out and show their support for those few nights."
-Coach Walton on hosting the Active Ankle Challenge
"Every win we get this year we will have earned. This schedule will help our guys be seasoned and understand what it takes to play at a high level. By the end of the year, whatever rank we hold and whatever position we stand in will be what we've earned."
-Coach Walton on the challenges of the 2019 season
For all the latest on Ball State men's volleyball, follow @BallStateMVB on social media and visit BallStateSports.com.
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