Ball State University
9-3,2-0MIVA
Lewis University
8-4,1-2MIVA
Men's Volleyball Defeats Lewis in First of Two Matches
February 13, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- No. 9 Ball State took down No. 14 Lewis in a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-23) victory Thursday night in Worthen Arena.
It was a slow start for the Cardinals as Lewis took control of the first set early. Ball State's only lead of the first frame was their opening point from an opponent error. After that point, Lewis held the upper hand and jumped to a 3-1 advantage. The Flyers slowly pulled away, seeing their biggest lead at 12-7. Ball State was able to get back within one after a four-point run that included three consecutive kills from Patrick Rogers, narrowing the score to 12-11. However, the Cardinals were never able to fully regain control, falling 21-25 in the first frame.
The second set opened much differently as the Cardinals found momentum quickly, building up a 4-2 lead over the Flyers. They remained dominant over Lewis, extending as much as a five-point lead at 19-14 with the help of back-to-back kills from Tinaishe Ndavazocheva. Ball State evened the match score 1-1 after winning the second frame 25-19.
Three errors and a kill from Rogers put the Cardinals up 4-0 at the start of the third. The Flyers were unable to battle back as Ball State never allowed them to get within three points. A kill from Rogers won the set at 25-17.
The Flyers fought hard heading into the fourth set, controlling the frame at 4-2. However, the Cardinals responded with kills from Rajé Alleyne, Will Patterson and Wil Basilio to get back on top of the game. It was an even fight through the rest of the set as the lead consistently jumped from one team to the other. Ultimately, the Cardinals were able to pull-off the match-winning point at 25-23 thanks to a big kill from Ryan Louis.
Alleyne and Rogers led the Ball State team offensively, each recording 16 kills and hitting .273 and .250 respectively. Ndavazocheva was also a major asset, hitting .571 from the floor and adding 9 kills. Assisting the offense was Lucas Machado who recorded 46 total assists.
At the net, Braydon Savitski-Lynde led the team with seven total blocks, a new single-game high. Cameron Gray was also very impressive defensively, adding a collegiate best of 12 digs.
Ball State will welcome Lewis again Friday (Feb. 14) night for a Valentine's Day red-out match. Tickets will be buy one get one free for a 7 p.m. scheduled first serve.
