No. 11 Men’s Volleyball Receives MIVA Awards Ahead of Tournament Quarterfinals Saturday
April 11, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
Ndavazocheva, Rogers, Machado named to All-MIVA teams; Cruz tabbed top coach for second time in three-year tenure
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season champion Ball State men's volleyball team had three players and its head coach recognized with postseason honors from the league Thursday.
Junior outside hitter/opposite Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and sophomore outside hitter Patrick Rogers both were named to the All-MIVA First Team while freshman setter Lucas Machado earned All-MIVA Second Team honors. This is Ndavazocheva's second straight season earning All-MIVA First Team accolades. Cruz was voted MIVA Coach of the Year for the second time in his three years at the helm of the Cardinals.
Ndavazocheva, who was tabbed preseason All-MIVA prior to the start of the season, leads the Cardinals in kills (297) and points (335.5). Ndavazocheva has turned in a double-digit kill performance 19 times this season including a season best 27-kills against McKendree on April 6 in a five-set thrilling win over the Bearcats in the Cardinals' MIVA regular season finale. Ndavazocheva earned MIVA Offensive Player of the Week honors on Feb. 27 for the third time in his career.
In his first year as a Cardinal, Rogers made quite the impact on the Cardinals offense, earning his first All-MIVA postseason honor. Rogers garnered MIVA Offensive Player of the Week accolades on Feb. 20 after he led Ball State to a pair of wins over Purdue Fort Wayne and then-No. 10 Loyola Chicago. The sophomore outside hitter totaled 40 kills in eight sets for a 5.00 average per set while hitting .395 for the week. Against the Mastodons, he had 22 kills in three sets on a blistering .515 hitting clip then followed it up with 18 kills on .302 hitting in five sets against the Ramblers. He added an ace against the Mastodons. Rogers ranks second on the team in kills (262) and first in hitting percentage (.365). He has tallied 14 double-kill performances with a career best 24-kills against Ohio State (3/34/24).
A true freshman, the Cardinals' offense cannot operate without its setter Machado who earns his first postseason conference honor. Machado has dished out 749 assists while averaging 9.60 assists per set. Machado dished out a season-best 51 assists twice this season against Purdue Fort Wayne (3/23/24) and Lewis (3/30/24). Machado also leads the squad in defensive digs with 132 and is second on the team in total blocks with 47.
In his third season at the helm of the Cardinals, Donan Cruz has restored Ball State men's volleyball's historic success and guided the team to the program's third straight MIVA regular season title and 24th in program history. Under Cruz, Ball State has posted three 20-win seasons in a row and a current national ranking of 11. Cruz also guided Ball State to the 2022 MIVA Tournament title and first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. Cruz also garnered AVCA National Coach of the Year honors that same season. Cruz currently owns an overall record at Ball State of 63-22 (.741) and a conference ledger of 35-8 (.813).
The Ball State men's volleyball team is the top seed for the third year in the 2024 MIVA Tournament and will host the eighth-seeded Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday, April 13 at 7 pm ET in Worthen Arena.
