Ball State University
3-2,0-0MIVA
Brigham Young University
5-0,0-0MPSF
MVB Falls to BYU in First of Two Matches
January 17, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Cardinals fell in a five-set match against the Cougars Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
After a strong first two sets for the No. 6 Ball State team, No. 5 BYU battled back to take a reverse sweep from the Cardinals and win the match 3-2. The Cougars offense overpowered, hitting a .319 from the floor compared to the Cardinals .175 percentage.
Rajé Alleyne and Patrick Rogers each recorded 12 kills on the night, followed by Tinaishe Ndavazocheva and Braydon Savitskski-Lynde who both had eight. Savitski-Lynde also hit an impressive .500 clip and added five blocks at the net. He was joined by Lucas Machado who also recorded five blocks, as well as three aces.
The first match started close with both teams going point-for-point. After a Cougar kill evened the set 10-10, however, BYU began to build a lead. They went on a five-point run before Alleyne intervened with a kill. The Cardinals responded with their own five-point run with the help of back-to-back aces from Alleyne to tie the set at 16-16. In a come-back run, Ball State won the first set 25-23 on a kill from Ndavazocheva. The Cardinals finished the first match with a strong .333 hitting percentage.
Set two started similarly, with the Cougars maintaining a slight lead through the first few points. Ball State took their first lead of the match with a kill from Machado that put them up 15-14. The score remained close, but the Cardinals were able to secure the second set 27-25 on a Cougar error.
Down 2-0, BYU reset to flip the momentum of the game. They pulled ahead 18-12 in the third set and the Cardinals were never quite able to respond. The Cougars took their first set 25-15 and carried that energy into the fourth with a 25-19 finish. Ball State fought hard in the fifth set, but ultimately fell 15-12, giving BYU the win.
The Cardinals will return Friday (Jan. 17) night for another opportunity against the Cougars. The match will start at 7 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
