Ball State University
3-3,0-0MIVA
Brigham Young University
6-0,0-0MPSF
Cardinals Unable to Defeat BYU in Five-Set Thriller
January 17, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Ball State men's volleyball moves to 3-3 on the season after a loss from BYU Friday (Jan. 17) evening in Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals battled the Cougars in another five-set thriller, ultimately falling 3-2. Rajé Alleyne and Patrick Rogers once again led the Cardinals with 17 and 16 kills respectively. Alleyne also had two aces and three blocks, while Rogers was a big asset defensively with eight recorded digs. Behind the net, Vanis Buckholz was the lead defender, adding seven blocks.
Lucas Machado had an impressive 54 assists, a new single game best, as well as 11 digs.
The match started similarly to that of the previous night, with both teams keeping a close score. The Cardinals were able to pull away towards the end of the set, starting with a 21-20 kill from Braydon Savitski-Lynde. Ball State sealed the deal with a kill from Rogers, winning the first set 25-22. The Cardinals' offense outshined BYU in the first set, hitting .342 to their .276.
The second frame was even closer and neither team could extend the lead past three points. It was not until the final three plays that BYU was able to close the set, evening the score with a 26-24 final.
BYU was the first to get ahead in set three, with two kills to give them a slight 10-8 advantage. They stayed up on the Cardinals until an ace from Alleyne evened the score at 13-13. That was the moral boost that Ball State needed as they followed up with a four-point run that included kills from Rogers, Savitski-Lynde and Machado. Alleyne secured the set at 25-22 with an ace on a BYU outside hitter.
Despite their third-set rally, Ball State was unable to slow the Cougar offense in the final two frames. BYU forced a fifth set after a 25-17 finish to the fourth and ultimately secured the match with a 15-9 final frame.
The Cardinals will be back in action for two matches next Thursday (Jan. 23) and Friday (Jan. 24) against Lees-McRae College and Maryville University.
