Check out a photo gallery from the match.
Shane Witmer lined up at the net at the start of Ball State's second set as he awaited the incoming serve. As a freshman and a starter in his third collegiate volleyball match, it would be hard to blame him in that moment if his knees were shaking or he looked rattled.
Instead, a smile spread across his face.
What should have been a tense newcomer suddenly looked like an easy-going and tested veteran.
"I wasn't really nervous until we came out here about three minutes before game time," Witmer said. "But I kind of settled into my groove. I thought the guys helped me out to keep my cool."
Witmer ended the match with seven kills on 17 attempts and hit .294 to go along with four digs. His contributions added to the best performance by the Cardinals this season, as Ball State beat Sacred Heart 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) in its home opener.
Sophomore setter Graham McIlvaine didn't skimp on the compliments when it came to Witmer's play.
"He played phenomenal, I thought," McIlvaine said. "I really think he played pretty well in the back row defensively and front row getting the kills that he did. He came through pretty clutch for us in the end."
The dominating sweep pushed Ball State to a 2-1 record after beating George Mason 3-2 on Saturday.
"We've had some good tenacity, and we're starting to figure things out," coach Joel Walton said. "Hopefully we're learning a little bit about ourselves and at least tonight we did a good job of taking care of games and finishing things off."
A quality defensive performance through all three games by Ball State limited Sacred Heart to a .153 attack percentage in the match. Pioneer attacks were met several times throughout the match by two or three blockers at the net, which showed with four Cardinals totaling at least three block assists.
McIlvaine spread the ball around to the team's outside attackers throughout the match and successfully took the offensive pressure off sophomore middle attackers Kevin Owens and Matt Leske. Witmer and junior outside attackers Larry Wrather and Jamion Hartley each had more than 17 attempts in the match.
"I thought tonight Graham did some other things to keep Sacred Heart off balance, to keep them from just throwing their block at our middle attackers," Walton said. "I was pretty pleased with our set distribution."
The Cardinals have little time to rest before their next two matches. Ball State will have two immediate rematches in two days, playing George Mason on Friday and St. Francis on Saturday, both at home.
Even though it's been only a week since playing either team, Ball State will field a slightly different looking lineup both nights.
Witmer is intent on that.
"[I need to] keep showing them I deserve to be on the court," Witmer said. "Obviously, we have a ton of outsides on this team who are capable of taking my spot anytime. I just need to earn that respect on the court and show them my leadership."
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