Men’s Volleyball Pulls Off 3-0 Upset Over MIVA Leader Loyola Chicago

Thursday, April 6

Muncie, Ind.

7 pm

Ball State University

17-8,10-3MIVA

Loyola University Chicago

21-5,11-2MIVA

Loyola Chicago

Ball St.

Photo by: BSU Photo Services

Men’s Volleyball Pulls Off 3-0 Upset Over MIVA Leader Loyola Chicago

April 06, 2023 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State Cardinals proved they are still one of the best in the league tonight after pulling off the 3-0 upset over Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) leader Loyola Chicago Thursday night in Worthen Arena.

With the win, the Cardinals (17-8, 10-3 MIVA) have put themselves in contention still for at least a share of the MIVA regular season title with the Ramblers (21-5, 11-2 MIVA). A lot of scenarios would still have to fall in Ball State's favor, but it does remain a possibility for BSU with one MIVA regular season contest remaining.

The win marked Ball State's first over Loyola Chicago since the 2020 season.

The Cardinals were in charge pretty much from start to finish tonight. The closest set was frame three which consisted of eight ties and two lead changes.

After a back-and-forth start in the first set, Ball State ran out to a 20-16 lead after a kill by Kaleb Jenness. The advantage continued to grow to 24-21 which led to another Jenness kill which sealed set one for BSU, 25-21.

Ball State then dominated in set two taking an early 8-2 advantage over Loyola Chicago after a few attack errors by the Ramblers. The Cardinals then cruised to a 25-18 second set victory which was capped off by a Loyola Chicago service error.

Despite a close third set, the Cardinals remained consistent on both offense and defense. Vanis Buckholz, Jenness and Tinaishe Ndavazocheva came through in some clutch moments along with some smart plays from David Flores at the net which helped propel the Cardinals to a 27-25 third set and the 3-0 sweep.

All-in-all BSU turned in a strong performance with Ndavazocheva leading the way with 15 kills while Jenness had 11 kills tonight. As a team, the Cardinals hit .375 from the floor while totaling 10 blocks.

The Ball State men's volleyball team will wrap up its MIVA regular season action Saturday, April 8 at 7 pm ET against its rival Purdue Fort Wayne. The Cardinals will also pay tribute to their seniors and welcome back their alumni to Worthen Arena.