Ball State University
8-3,1-0MIVA
Purdue Fort Wayne
5-3,0-1MIVA
Ball State Men's Volleyball Opens MIVA Play with 3-2 Win Over Purdue Fort Wayne
February 06, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
MUNCIE, Ind. -- Men's volleyball came away with a suspenseful 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13) Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) victory over Purdue Fort Wayne Thursday (Feb. 6) night in Worthen Arena.
Each set was hard-earned as the Mastodons forced the Cardinals to play to five. From the first serve, both teams continued trading the lead well into the middle of the set. A service ace from Tinaishe Ndavazocheva at 18-15 gave the Cardinals their biggest lead of the night. Soon after, Ball State subbed in Wil Basilio who was able to sneak an ace to change the score to 20-17. The freshman's ace was his first of the season. From that point, Ball State was able to hold on and take set one following a 25-23 kill from Rajé Alleyne.
The Cardinals saw more momentum early in set two, taking an 11-6 lead after an ace from Ndavazocheva. However, the Mastodons battled back, tying the score 19-19 with an ace. They were able to take the second set 25-23, evening the match 1-1.
Purdue Fort Wayne did not slow down in the third. They went point-for-point with the Cardinals until three straight Mastodon kills (12-10) put them in a position Ball State was never able to fight back from. Despite the Cardinals hitting .72 in the third frame, the Mastodons maintained the advantage through the end, securing the set at 25-23 after a kill from middle-blocker Caleb Lipscomb.
Will Patterson joined the Cardinals in set four, along with Ryan Louis who entered in the third, adding a couple fresh faces to the Ball State rotation. Two Mastodon errors put Ball State up for an immediate 2-0 lead. Purdue Fort Wayne kept close, tying the score at 6-6 after a kill from opposite Logan Muir. The Cardinals responded with a five-point run (11-6) that included kills from Ndavazocheva, Patrick Rogers and Lucas Machado, as well as an ace from Patterson. It was all Ball State from there with a kill from Rogers to seal the deal at 25-20, forcing a fifth set.
The Cardinals saw the first run of the fifth set, getting ahead 5-3 after kills from Ndavazocheva and Louis and an ace from Vanis Buckholz. However, the Mastodons did not go out easily, taking back the lead at 9-8 following a kill from Muir. Rogers and Ndavazocheva had the response, adding three kills for an 11-9 advantage. A final kill from Rogers won the game for the Cardinals at a 15-13 fifth set.
Rogers led the Cardinals through the thriller, recording 19 kills, three blocks and five digs while hitting at a .324 percentage. Also making a big impact were Ndavazocheva and Louis. Ndavazocheva totaled 18 kills, hitting .531 and Louis added 10 kills at a .421 clip.
Assisting the offense was Machado who tallied a career single-game best of 54 assists.
On the defensive front, Braydon Savitski-Lydne led the team with five blocks. Louis was an asset behind the net as well, recording two solo blocks, the first of his collegiate career.
The Cardinals will return to Worthen for two more MIVA matches next Thursday (Feb. 13) and Friday (Feb. 14) as they welcome No. 12-ranked Lewis. Friday's match will feature a red out and buy-one-get-one-free tickets in honor of Valentine's Day.
