MVB Downs No. 12 McKendree in Straight Sets

Saturday, March 28

Lebanon, IL

5 pm

Ball State University

20-3,11-2MIVA

McKendree

15-8,7-5MIVA

Ball St.

McKendree

Photo by: Heather Parker

March 28, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

LEBANON, Ill. – The seventh-ranked Ball State men's volleyball team ended its final week on the road with its third-consecutive straight set win (28-26, 25-22, 25-19) over No. 12 McKendree Saturday evening inside of the Melvin Price Convocation Center.

The Cardinals (20-3, 11-2 MIVA) snap the Bearcats' (15-8, 7-5 MIVA) nine-match winning streak as they end their road conference slate 5-2 in 2026.

Senior outside Patrick Rogers captured his first double-double of the season, striking down a match-high 17 kills and 15 digs. His dig total matches his career high, which he ironically set at McKendree a year ago (Feb. 22). Rogers' hitting percentage of .625 is also a season best.

Also contributing to BSU's offense was sophomore Ryan Louis who had nine kills, as well as Wil Basilio who tallied eight and Braydon Savitski-Lynde who recorded six in nine attempts.

Setter Lucas Machado guided Ball State to a .378 hitting percentage with 40 assists. The junior earned his seventh match with that total or more this season.

Ball State's defense shined once again as the unit totaled 41 digs, the team's second-highest total this season. The mark is, however, the program's highest in three sets since collecting 44 versus Quincy in 2020 (Feb. 29). On top of Rogers' career-high, Basilio and Victor Scherer added eight digs, while Louis and Machado saw four. Daniel Gunther and Will Patterson also had one each.

The two teams tied in total blocks with six, as Savitski-Lynde led the Cardinals' effort with five. Machado aided with three as Rogers contributed a pair.

Ball State showed resilience early, surviving a back-and-forth opening frame that featured 12 tie scores and six lead changes. After the Bearcats forced extra points, two clutch kills from Rogers helped clinch the set. In the final frame Marty Canavan provided a spark off the bench with two service aces as Ball State went on a series on three-point runs to build control and complete the sweep.

The men's squad looks to maintain its position at the top of the MIVA as they return home to defend Worthen Arena versus Northern Kentucky on April 2 at 7 p.m.