Ball State University Athletics
Men’s Volleyball Downs Lewis; Hosts Purdue Fort Wayne In MIVA Championship Match Saturday
April 20, 2022 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's volleyball team was on a mission tonight as the top-seeded Cardinals defeated No. 4 seed Lewis 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-15) in the semifinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament Wednesday night inside Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals (22-3) had swept the Flyers (16-12) in both regular season matchups. Ball State and Lewis endured a tight first set where the Flyers held onto a slim lead throughout set one. Ball State finally took a 14-12 edge after kills from Nick Martinski and Angelos Mandilaris. The Cardinals took advantage of their momentum and quickly built an 18-14 cushion over the Flyers. Lewis still played close, but Ball State remained atop of Lewis and was able to take the first set, 25-23.
However, it didn't take long for Ball State to turn up its offense and defense against Lewis in the final two frames, which nearly mimicked one another. The Flyers offense was halted in set two as the Cardinals held Lewis to a -.067 hitting percentage at the net and a .130 from the floor in the third frame. The Cardinals, on the other hand, were firing on all cylinders, especially in the final set tallying 12 kills off 20 attempts for a .500 hitting percentage.
For the second-straight game, the MIVA Player of the Year Kaleb Jenness led the Cardinals with 10 kills, hitting a whopping .556 from the floor off 18 attacks and was also the team leader in defensive digs with nine. The nation's leader in assists, Quinn Isaacson, dished out 28 assists to his teammates for a .459 accuracy.
The Ball State men's volleyball team will advance to the championship match for the first time since 2009 on Saturday, April 23 when it hosts the sixth-seeded Purdue Fort Wayne in Worthen Arena at 7 p.m. ET.
Fans can purchase tickets to the game by calling the Stoops Buick/GMC Ticket Center at 888.BSU.TICKET or 765.285.1474 to join the Cardinal Family inside Worthen Arena! Tickets for the upcoming MIVA Tournament championship match can also be purchased HERE!
