The men's volleyball team split a pair of games against top-five ranked opponents in Hawaii this weekend.
The Cardinals were in Honolulu for four days to play in the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational. Ranked No. 7, they upset No. 4 Penn State and lost to the defending national champions, No. 1 Hawaii.
Ball State played Hawaii in what head coach Joel Walton called a dog-fight, before losing in three games. All three were close, however, as the Cardinals lost 29-31, 28-30 and 25-30.
The team was actually tied with Hawaii at 28 and had the ball in the first game before an illegal substitution gave the serve back to the Warriors.
The next night the Cardinals started off slow against Penn State before winning three straight games and winning the match 25-30, 30-25, 30-24 and 30-20.
"I told my team in the locker room (before the game) that who ever wins the first game usually wins the match," Walton said, who was then proved wrong by his team.
"We finished Game 1 well after getting in a hole," Walton said. "We showed a lot of heart in turning the momentum around and dominating the last three games."
In the match against Penn State, senior outside attacker Josh Lee came off the bench to spark the Cardinals and lead them in kills (14), hitting percentage (.650) and total points (20). Senior middle attacker Matt Denmark also played well with 14 kills, five blocks and a .522 hitting percentage.
"Coming out and getting a victory over Penn State is something that should influence the poll," Walton said. "We're hoping to move up a few spots (when the polls come out Wednesday)."
Ball State opened the Invitational with an exhibition match against the Shanghai Orient from China. The Orient had five players from China's national team. The Cardinals lost to Shanghai, who beat Hawaii in the title game of the tournament, three games to none.
Heading into the Outrigger Invitational, Walton thought Hawaii's home crowd might play a factor in the matches. He said the Warriors regularly played in front of 4,000 to 5,000 fans that can get very loud.
After the games, however, Walton said the environment may have helped his team play better.
"If anything, I think the crowd was a plus," Walton said. "We enjoyed the environment. If was a big crowd that understands volleyball and appreciates good play.
"We were well received and felt very welcomed."
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