MVB Falls to the Flyers in Five

Thursday, April 9

Muncie, IN

7 pm

Ball State University

21-4,12-3MIVA

Lewis

16-12,8-7MIVA

Team	1	2	3	4	5	Final F
Lewis	21	25	17	25	18	3
Ball St.	25	23	25	20	16	2

Photo by: Brayden Goins / Ball State Athletics

April 09, 2026 | Men's Volleyball

Box Score

MUNCIE, Ind. – The seventh-ranked Ball State men's volleyball team found itself in a five-set thriller Thursday evening, but ultimately fell to No. 16 Lewis (25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 20-25, 16-1), giving the program its first blemish inside Worthen Arena and evening the season series.

The Cardinals (21-4, 12-3 MIVA) now share the top position in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings with Loyola Chicago, making Saturday's contest a battle for the league's regular season championship.

In a competitive fifth set, which featured eight tied scored and three lead changes, the two teams battled back and forth to a 16-16 tie. The Flyers (16-12, 8-7 MIVA) would go onto score two straight critical points off a kill and an ace to put the match to rest.

Ball State's offense hit .331 on the night, led by a 21-kill performance from outside Patrick Rogers. Ryan Louis added 18 kills along with a career-high four service aces, while Wil Basilio and Braydon Savitski-Lynde contributed eight kills each.

Setter Lucas Machado guided the attack with 52 total assists, the second-highest total of his career. With his total, Machado moves up to eighth in the Ball State record book, capturing 2,335 in his career so far. Machado also finished the night with 14 digs and a pair of blocks.

Leading the defense for the Cardinals was libero Victor Scherer, who recorded a season-best 19 digs, and Louis who paced the team at the net with four blocks.

The Cardinals maintained control through the early stages, winning the first set 25-21 and dominating the third 25-17 while hitting an efficient .400. Lewis found life in the fourth, hitting .387 to force the deciding fifth set.

Ball State will attempt to shake off the blemish as it closes its regular season April 11 when it hosts the Ramblers in a regular season championship showdown at 4 p.m.