Ball State University
2-0,0-0MIVA
Trine University
0-1,0-0MCVL
No. 5 Cardinals Conclude Opening Weekend with 3-0 Sweep Over Trine
January 05, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The fifth-ranked Ball State men's volleyball team soared past Trine Sunday afternoon in Worthen Arena for another 3-0 (25-13, 25-13, 25-13) sweep to start the season.
The Cardinals (2-0) put the pressure on from start to finish, recording nine aces and hitting at a .443 clip while holding the Thunder (0-1) to just .085.
Patrick Rogers led the team with 10 kills, three aces and two blocks. Also making a big impact were Rodney Wallace and Eyal Rawitz who recorded six and five kills respectively.
Rajé Alleyne kicked things off with a kill to put the Cardinals on the board first. Ball State expanded its lead early in set one with a few Thunder errors and an ace from Rogers to make the score 5-2. The Cardinal team carried that momentum through the rest of the set, winning the first frame 25-13 on a Trine service error.
The energy stayed consistent in set two as the Cardinals put themselves up 4-0 with a couple of strong kills and an ace from Lucas Machado. After a short period of going point-for-point, back-to-back kills from Rawitz followed by a kill from Ryan Louis helped extend the Cardinal lead to 10-3. A kill from Will Patterson ended the set with a score of 25-13.
Set three started on a similar note with the Ball State team going on an early five-point run to make the score 6-1. The Cardinal offense never let up, securing the win in a 25-13 third frame.
Next up, Ball State will hit the road for the first time this season to take on the No. 13-ranked Standford Cardinal. The series is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 10 and Saturday, Jan. 11 with both games starting at 9 pm ET.
