An 11-day layoff didn't do Ball State much good in its return to competition.
Cal State Northridge swept away Ball State 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) in its home court, The Matadome, to hand the Cardinals one of their worst losses of the season.
Ball State, the 7th best blocking team in the nation, came well short of matching its usual effort on defense.
A combined block by sophomore middle attacker Matt Leske and freshman outside attacker Matt Sutherland would be the only block the visitors would record the entire night.
That statistic was reflected in Cal State Northridge's final attack percentage of .462, by far the highest attack percentage Ball State has allowed this season.
Outside attacker Matt Stork led the overwhelming offensive assault, hitting a season-high .682 off 16 kills and 22 attacks. John Baker hit .483 and 15 kills of his own.
Worst of all for Ball State, Cal State Northridge played most of the match without one of its best players on offense in right-side attacker Julius Hoefer.
It wasn't all bad for the Cardinals when their offense came into play. They managed to hit fairly well despite a final attack percentage of .191.
Right-side attacker Greg Herceg tied a career-high in kills with 13 on 27 attempts and also hit .333 to lead Ball State at the net.
While outside attacker Larry Wrather had one more attack then Herceg, he wasn't nearly as effective, hitting .036.
Ball State (10-6, 2-3 MIVA) will now focus on its two weekend matches against MIVA opponent Grand Canyon. The two teams will play on Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m. (MST).
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