Since the start of the season, sophomore middle blockers Kevin Owens and Matt Leske have had some pretty big shoes to fill.
Former middle blockers and Second-Team All Americans JD Gasparovic and Anders Nelson have moved on from their careers at Ball State due to graduating last season. The Cardinals have also had issues with their back row defense the entire season.
Despite all of the obstacles put in front of them, Owens and Leske showed spectators and Quincy last Saturday night that they can replace Nelson and Gasparovic.
In the 3-0 win over Quincy, Leske and Owens were effective attacking the defense. They tallied six kills and five kills, respectively. They also blocked the ball well, combining for two blocks and seven block assists.
"They [Quincy] were good attackers on the pins and in the middle," Owens said. "We were just going to try to do our best to shut down the middles first, and then try to contain their outsides. Luckily for us, they made two errors early and we kept the pressure on them."
Leske and Owens put the most pressure on Quincy's attack during the second set. In the set, they had five of the team's 11 block assists and two blocks.
Owens, however, said the coaching staff and the serve should get the credit for the successful blocking.
"They [coaching staff] prepared us well for what their attackers wanted to do and the way they ran their offense," he said. "Our serving put a lot of pressure on them. So we were able to look over on the bench and get good signals and guess where they were going then. When we put pressure on them with our serves, it helps a lot."
Ball State coach Joel Walton said he agrees with Owens in terms of the serve and preparation being keys to the block's success.
"We started with good serving tonight, and it just carried over into the other aspects of the game," he said. "It's also a matter of knowing what they [Quincy] like to do. Where they like to set and serve in situations and what those hitters like to hit. Our blockers did a good job taking the shots they were assigned to take."
Walton, however, said Leske and Owens took advantage of an opportunity to get some revenge on Quincy. Last season, Quincy defeated Ball State 3-1 in the Quarterfinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament.
"What's interesting is Leske and Owens had to watch the majority of that match from the bench," he said. "So they were suffering through it watching in a spectator's position. Tonight, they had a chance to go out and do something about it. That's what makes their performances' tonight extra special."
Looking forward to its upcoming matchups with Ohio State and IPFW, Owens said the Quincy win is huge for the team.
"I think it's great for our momentum to come out and beat a good team in three straight sets," he said. "It's great for our confidence and hopefully we can continue this."
First serve in the Ohio State matchup will be on Friday at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The IPFW matchup will start on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
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