Ball State University
Ohio State University
Men's Volleyball Back In Action Thursday At Ohio State
March 10, 2021 | Men's Volleyball
Ball State (7-4, 4-3 MIVA) |Â Ohio State (5-6, 4-3 MIVA)
Columbus, Ohio | Game Notes: Ball State | Ohio State
Date: March 11 at 6 p.m. ET:Â Watch: BTN+Â | Live Stats
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ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Cardinals return to the road for the second straight week when it travels to Ohio State Thursday, March 11 in MIVA action. Ball State will look to regroup after suffering its 3-0 losses at Lewis last weekend. Ball State just faced Ohio State recently which resulted in a five set loss on Feb. 27 in Worthen Arena. Kaleb Jenness led the Cardinals offensively that contest with 16 kills against the Buckeyes. Head coach Joel Walton said after the match the deciding factor in this match was that his team struggled on offense all night long and Ohio State was just much more consistent in that category.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes enter tonight's contest with an overall record of 5-6 and a 4-3 MIVA record. Ohio State is on a three-match win streak. The Buckeyes last contest was against Ball State on Feb. 27 they did not compete last weekend. In the last match against Ball State, Martin Lallemand led all scorers with a career best 21 kills while hitting .375. The Cardinals will also have to watch out for Sotiris Siapanis who had 18 kills against Ball State.
JENNESS AND ISAACSON SWEEP MAC WEEKLY HONORS: Ball State junior outside hitter Kaleb Jenness (Mount Pleasant, S.C./Wando) and senior setter Quinn Isaacson (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) have been tabbed as the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) offensive and defensive players of the week. Jenness and Isaacson led the Cardinals in a pair of 3-0 sweeps over the weekend against Lindenwood to help Ball State extend its winning streak to seven and remain undefeated in MIVA action. Jenness opened the weekend with a 19-kill performance on 34 swings for a .441 hitting percentage in Saturday's win. On Sunday, he mimicked that performance with 18 kills on another 34 attempts for a .353 hitting percentage. He also helped defensively with six digs. For the week, Jenness totaled 37 kills on 68 attacks for a .397 hitting percentage. Isaacson also played a huge roll in the Cardinals' two victories. He led Ball State defensively with a season-best 13 digs on Saturday night against the Lions. He recorded six digs more on Sunday to total 19 for the weekend, an average of 3.17 per set. Isaacson also registered two block assists.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Cardinals remain on their five-match road swing when Ball State travels to Quincy University on March. 19-20 with both matches set to begain at 8 p.m. ET. After that, Ball State returns to Worthen Arena for its last two home regular season matches when BSU hosts Loyola University on the weekend of March 26-27 at 7 p.m. ET. The Cardinals will pay tribute to their senior on Saturday. Also, Ball State will say good-bye to head coach Joel Walton that match.
PRESEASON ALL-MIVA: Junior outside attacker Kaleb Jenness (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) was named to the Preseason All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association team, while the Cardinals were picked to finish third in the preseason poll. Jenness finished the abbreviated 2020 season with a team high 246 kills to earn a spot on the American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Honorable Mention Team.
THE END OF AN ERA:Â One of the winningest coaches in NCAA men's volleyball history will lead Ball State's program for one more season. Head coach Joel Walton announced he will retire following the completion of the 2021 season. A two-time Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) Coach of the Year, Walton enters his 23rd and final season at the helm of the Cardinals ranked fourth among active NCAA men's volleyball head coaches (Divisions I, II or III) with 410 career wins, owning an overall record of 410-234 (.637).
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