Men’s volleyball record
7-3
Next match
Thursday, 7:30 p.m. in Worthen arena v.s. Loyola
Five things to know before
Ball State faces No.1 Loyola
Ball State walked off the court last spring with its 13 match winning streak shattered, players wondering what went wrong.
But when the Ball State men’s volleyball team hosts No. 1 Loyola on Thursday night, the team will be focused on the task at hand. Ball State will have a chance to knock off the team that eliminated it from the 2013 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament.
“We really want to go out there and kick their butt,”
said Ball State junior liberoDavid Ryan Vander Meer.
For the second time this season, Ball State is taking on a No. 1 ranked opponent. The Ramblers’ offense, which Joseph Smalzer leads, is averaging 1.68 aces per set.
Smalzer leads the country with 33 aces this season — six more than UCLA’s Gonzalo Quiroga, who is in second. The curve of Smalzer’s serve makes it difficult to defend.
While spinning downward, his serve can also curve sideways, a rarity in volleyball.
The senior averages nearly one ace per set, a statistic Ball State head coach Joel Walton said was ludicrous.
“Passers aren’t used to seeing the curve he puts on the ball,” he said. “There’s variety in placement, there’s variety in spin and he’s a very good server.”
It’ll be up to players like Vander Meer, senior outside attacker Larry Wrather and junior outside attacker Shane Witmer to neutralize the Loyola serve.
Wrather said he wants to take advantage of home court to counter the Ramblers’ power. He said if Ball State can handle its visitor’s serves right away, Loyola will back off and become less aggressive.
This is not an easy task against a team that has the second most aces per set in the MIVA and that’s made even tougher because Ball State has occasionally struggled receiving serves this season.
By receiving well, Ball State can pass to one of its many offensive threats in the front row. Wrather said the Cardinals can get one-on-one chances and take advantage to make the Ramblers uncomfortable.
Witmer also stressed the importance of making Loyola feel out of its element.
“As far as blocking and our middles at the net, we can make them uncomfortable more than other teams can,” he said. “We’ll have our best chance to win if we can get them off the net and frustrate them.”
By returning serves accurately and backing Loyola off the net, Ball State can force the team out of its system.
Walton said whichever team settles in quickly and stays calm under pressure will have the advantage. Behind him, Ball State players warmed up by jumping rope while laughing, teasing each other.
There’s nothing uncomfortable about that demeanor.
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