Shepherd’s Kill Gives Men’s Volleyball 4th-Set Win Over LMU

Friday, January 29

Muncie, Ind.

5 p.m.

Ball State University

3-1,0-0MIVA

Lincoln Memorial University

1-5,0-0DI Independent

Team	1	2	3	4	Final F
Lincoln Memorial	16	25	18	27	1
Ball St.	25	23	25	29	3

Photo by: Ball State University Creative Services

Shepherd’s Kill Gives Men’s Volleyball 4th-Set Win Over LMU

January 29, 2021 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. - It was a tight match tonight between the Cardinals and the Railsplitters. So tight that the competition nearly went to a fifth set before junior Brandon Shepherd saved the day with a tenacious kill in the fourth frame. That kill would seal Ball State's 3-1 victory over Lincoln Memorial Friday night in Worthen Arena.

Shepherd explained after the game that he's been wanting to step up and earn this role for a while as an upperclassman. He attributed his personal career high of 16 kills, by playing to the best of his ability with his main focus on staying high and swinging well. Shepherd also said that he centered his thoughts around blocking and serving better.

The Cardinals (3-1) picked up right where they left off from last night's 3-0 sweep over the Railsplitters (1-5) by taking the first set fairly easily over LMU, 25-16.

After that, Lincoln Memorial started to fight back controlling the tempo of the second set, despite the Cardinals many comeback attempts.

BSU trailed by as many as six (22-17) late in the match but would knot the score 23-23 after a Railsplitter attack error. Unfortunately, LMU would prevail and take set two, 25-23.

BSU led the majority of the third set, building a late seven-point (16-19) advantage. The Cardinals carried out their strong play, winning the third (25-18) after a kill from Will McPhillips.

The final set was a back-and-forth affair that consisted of 19 ties with the last one being 27-27. A kill from Bryce Behrendt put the Cardinals up by one over the Railsplitters then with match point on the line, Quinn Isaacson found Shepherd for the kill and the win.

Ball State men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said after the match that inconsistency in passing and some attack errors were problematic for the Cardinals tonight. Walton also said the Cardinals were able to get the win because BSU took some better swings late in the game while also relying on veteran Blake Reardon to get Ball State out of some sticky situations.

The Ball State men's volleyball team opens its Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association conference play on Friday, Feb. 5 against Purdue Fort Wayne. First serve is set for 7 p.m. ET in Worthen Arena.

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