Ball State University
10-2,4-1MIVA
Lindenwood
3-7,1-4MIVA
No. 8 Men’s Volleyball Defeats Lindenwood 3-1 In MIVA Action
February 24, 2022 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The No. 8 Ball State men's volleyball team (10-2, 4-1 MIVA) got back on the winning track after registering a 3-1 defeat over Lindenwood (3-7, 1-4 MIVA) Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
Ball State started off sluggish in the opening set and would drop the first frame for only the second time this season as Lindenwood won by a score of 25-22.
Ball State finally got its footing back and managed to take an impressive early lead over Lindenwood in set two. A kill by Kaleb Jenness made it 15-9 to put the Cardinals into cruise control the rest of the way for the 25-20 victory over the Lions in set two.
Lindenwood regrouped in the third period, controlling the tempo the majority of the set. The Cardinals found themselves fighting to stay within reach of the Lions. The Cardinals finally answered with some crucial kills from Jenness, Will Hippe and Bryce Behrendt.
A block solo from Vanis Buckholz knotted the set 22-22. After that, both teams went point-for-point, but the Cardinals finally prevailed after Behrendt served set point to give BSU the 2-1 edge over Lindenwood.
The Lions jumped out to a significant 10-6 lead over Ball State in the fourth set. However, after a 14-10 run, Ball State would knot the score at 20-20. The Cardinals then took the next three points from the Lions with a kill from Buckholz and back-to-back aces from Angelos Mandilaris. Those essential plays ultimately led to the Cardinals taking the fourth set and the 3-1 victory.
For the game, Jenness led with 21 kills while Mandilaris added 14, and Behrendt ended the night 12. Quinn Isaacson led the offensive charge, dishing out 54 assists off of 108 attacks for a .500 accuracy.
The Ball State men's volleyball team continues Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) action at home Friday against Quincy. First serve is at 7 p.m. ET.
