Friday, January 4
Muncie, Ind.
7:00 PM
Ball State University
vs
Princeton
Cardinals Welcome Princeton, NJIT and UC Irvine to Open 2019
January 03, 2019 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. – As a new year begins, so does a new season. The Ball State men's volleyball team opens its 2019 campaign Friday night at Worthen Arena when the Princeton Tigers come to town. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The season quickly continues on as New Jersey Institute of Technology visits on Saturday night, and UC Irvine on Monday, both at 7 p.m. ET.
MATCH INFO
Ball State vs Princeton
Friday, Jan. 4 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
Ball State vs NJIT
Saturday, Jan. 5 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
Ball State vs UC Irvine
Monday, Jan. 7 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
ABOUT PRINCETON (0-2)
Princeton was selected as this season's favorite to win the EIVA. The Tigers are off to an 0-2 start after dropping matches to both Pepperdine and UCLA on the West Coast to open the year.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State leads the all-time series with the Tigers by a tally of 6-0-1. The Cardinals took home the last meeting, 3-2, on Jan. 5, 2017.
ABOUT NJIT (0-0)
NJIT stops in Fort Wayne to face the Mastodons before coming to Muncie. The Highlanders are looking to improve on their 9-17 record from a season ago. Four seniors look to lead the way in 2019.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals have never lost to NJIT as they own a 9-0 record in the series. The last meeting occurred on Jan. 27, 2017 when Ball State won 3-1.
ABOUT UC IRVINE (0-0)
UC Irvine presents an early challenge for Ball State as the Anteaters were picked fourth in the AVCA preseason poll. Irvine finished 2018 as the number six team in the country and qualified for the NCAA Tournament where it ultimately fell to Ohio State. The Anteaters will square off against Loyola Chicago before making the trip to Ball State.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State trails the all-time series with UC Irvine 4-6. The Anteaters won the last matchup, 3-0, on March 8, 2018.
MIVA PRESEASON POLL
When the coaches of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association submitted their picks for the preseason poll, Ball State was selected to finish fourth.
The Cardinals received 38 points overall and one first-place vote. Lewis was selected as the conference favorite with 58 points and four first-place votes while Loyola and Ohio State rounded out the top three. In-state rival Purdue Fort Wayne was behind BSU in fifth.
Along with the MIVA poll, the AVCA Top 15 was recently released and the Cardinals were the first team out of the poll but first among those receiving votes with a total of 19.
2019 Preseason Poll (points) (first place votes)
1. Lewis (58) (4)
2. Loyola (54) (1)
3. Ohio State (53) (2)
4. Ball State (38) (1)
5. Purdue Fort Wayne (36)
6. Lindenwood (23)
7. McKendree (18)
8. Quincy (8)
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.
MATCH INFO
Ball State vs Princeton
Friday, Jan. 4 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
Ball State vs NJIT
Saturday, Jan. 5 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
Ball State vs UC Irvine
Monday, Jan. 7 (7 p.m.)
Muncie, Ind. (Worthen Arena)
Watch | Live Stats | Match Notes (PDF)
ABOUT PRINCETON (0-2)
Princeton was selected as this season's favorite to win the EIVA. The Tigers are off to an 0-2 start after dropping matches to both Pepperdine and UCLA on the West Coast to open the year.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State leads the all-time series with the Tigers by a tally of 6-0-1. The Cardinals took home the last meeting, 3-2, on Jan. 5, 2017.
ABOUT NJIT (0-0)
NJIT stops in Fort Wayne to face the Mastodons before coming to Muncie. The Highlanders are looking to improve on their 9-17 record from a season ago. Four seniors look to lead the way in 2019.
SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals have never lost to NJIT as they own a 9-0 record in the series. The last meeting occurred on Jan. 27, 2017 when Ball State won 3-1.
ABOUT UC IRVINE (0-0)
UC Irvine presents an early challenge for Ball State as the Anteaters were picked fourth in the AVCA preseason poll. Irvine finished 2018 as the number six team in the country and qualified for the NCAA Tournament where it ultimately fell to Ohio State. The Anteaters will square off against Loyola Chicago before making the trip to Ball State.
SERIES HISTORY
Ball State trails the all-time series with UC Irvine 4-6. The Anteaters won the last matchup, 3-0, on March 8, 2018.
MIVA PRESEASON POLL
When the coaches of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association submitted their picks for the preseason poll, Ball State was selected to finish fourth.
The Cardinals received 38 points overall and one first-place vote. Lewis was selected as the conference favorite with 58 points and four first-place votes while Loyola and Ohio State rounded out the top three. In-state rival Purdue Fort Wayne was behind BSU in fifth.
Along with the MIVA poll, the AVCA Top 15 was recently released and the Cardinals were the first team out of the poll but first among those receiving votes with a total of 19.
2019 Preseason Poll (points) (first place votes)
1. Lewis (58) (4)
2. Loyola (54) (1)
3. Ohio State (53) (2)
4. Ball State (38) (1)
5. Purdue Fort Wayne (36)
6. Lindenwood (23)
7. McKendree (18)
8. Quincy (8)
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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