Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Quincy University
No. 11 Men's Volleyball Closes Out MIVA Regular Season Action at Home This Weekend
April 03, 2024 | Men's Volleyball
The Cardinals will host Quincy Thursday at 7 pm ET and McKendree at 5 pm ET on Saturday
No. 11 Ball State (18-9, 11-3 MIVA)  vs. Quincy (5-17, 1-13 MIVA)
Series History: Ball State has won 59 of 64 all-time meetings and has won the last nine.
Last Meeting: Ball State 3, Quincy 0 (2/23/24)
No. 11 Ball State (18-9, 11-3 MIVA)  vs. McKendree (14-9, 8-6 MIVA)
Series History: Ball State leads the all-time series 14-7
Last Meeting: McKendree 3, Ball State 0 (2/9/24)
Setting the Scene:
Match Recap: Ball State split its two-match series at Lewis last weekend winning 3-2 on Thursday and then falling to the Flyers, 2-3 on Saturday. Tinaishe Ndavazocheva led the Cardinals offensively this weekend with a total of 43 kills while averaging 4.30 kills per contest. Ndavazocheva turned in a .315 hitting percentage off 92 swings.Â
Scouting Quincy and Mckendree:Â Quincy has only one MIVA victory under its belt thus far this season after defeating Queens University on Feb. 3, 3-2. The Hawks recently fell in a 3-0 sweep at home against Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday. McKendree is one of only three MIVA teams that have handed the Cardinals a loss this season in league play after earning a 3-0 sweep over BSU on Feb. 9. A Ball State victory over either team will secure the Cardinals at least a share of the 2024 MIVA regular season title.Â
MIVA Tourney Time:Â If the Cardinals win one of their matches this weekend they will earn at least a share of the MIVA regular season title marking the third-straight year Ball State has been crowned the MIVA regular season champions. The last time Ball State won three-straight regular season titles was in 1995, 1996 and 1997. The most they have won in a row is four. Win or lose, Ball State has already locked up the right to host its MIVA Tournament quarterfinal game which will be next Saturday, April 13 in Worthen Arena.Â
Ndavazocheva Earns MIVA Offensive Player of the Week:Â Ndavazocheva led the Cardinals to a 3-0 victory over Quincy. The junior outside hitter had 15 kills on 22 attempts with just one error, working out to a .636 hitting percentage. He added an ace in the win. His 15 kills averaged to 5.00 per set.
Rogers MIVA Offensive Player of the Week:Â Patrick Rogers led No. 13 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 Has a Standout Week: Rogers led Ball State with 41 kills last week while hitting an impressive .453 from the floor off of 75 swings. Rogers also averaged 5.86 kills per set. Rogers began the week with a career best 24 kills in a 3-1 win over rival Ohio State while tallying a .383 hitting percentage. On Saturday, Rogers continued his strong offensive showing with 17 kills off a .571 hitting accuracy on 28 total attacks. Rogers also served up an ace as the Cardinals swept Lindenwood to remain atop of the MIVA standings.
The Legend Don Shondell: The Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association has announced changes to the MIVA Tournament format. The conference has also announced that future tournament winners will receive the Don Shondell MIVA Championship Trophy.
The MIVA Tournament has been played after every regular season since 1980 except 2020 and was also played from 1964-69. The new format for the MIVA Tournament will reward the highest seeds, providing an advantage for a path to the NCAA tournament via the MIVA's automatic bid.The opening round of the eight-team tournament will be played at the higher four seeds. No. 1 will host No. 8, No. 2 will host No. 7, No. 3 will host No. 6, and No. 4 will host No. 5.Â
The semifinal and final rounds will be hosted by the highest remaining seed in the field. The field will also re-seed. The highest remaining seed will host the lowest remaining seed and the other two teams will play in the other semifinal. The two winning teams will play in the final match for the Don Shondell MIVA Championship Trophy.
