Late Rally Not Enough as No. 6 Men's Volleyball Drops 3-1 Match at No. 1 Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii - The sixth ranked Ball State men's volleyball team (0-1) dropped its season opener Thursday night to No. 1 Hawai'i (1-0), 3-1.

Preseason All-Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association selection Kaleb Jenness led the Cardinals with 18 kills while newcomer Tinaishe Ndaavazocheva tallied 11 kills on the night in his Ball State debut. Defensively, setter David Flores dished out 44 assists and led the team with five blocks.

The opening set went to the Warriors by a score of 25-16. Hawai'i dominated play at the net which included a .440 hitting percentage.

Ball State hit much better in the second set taking the lead over Hawai'i early on after some key kills from Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and Kaleb Jenness. The set was tied 8-8 before the Warriors began to pull away from the Cardinals.

Despite the Warriors dominance, the Cardinals were able to play close to Hawai'i only trailing by one (23-24) late in the frame, but a Ball State blocking error earned UH set point (25-23).

The third set went to the Cardinals after a commendable effort with a close score of 25-22. Jenness hammered a kill in between two Warrior defenders to earn set point and send the match to fourth frame.

The Rainbow Warriors came back and won the next set. Hawai'i took set four with a final score of 25-17 and sealed the victory for UH.

The Ball State men's volleyball team continues its two-match series at Hawai'i Friday at 7 pm HST and 12 am ET.

Late Rally Not Enough as No. 6 Men's Volleyball Drops 3-1 Match at No. 1 Hawaii

Players Mentioned

David Flores

Kaleb Jenness

Tinaishe Ndavazocheva

Players Mentioned

David Flores

Kaleb Jenness

Tinaishe Ndavazocheva