MIVA Quarterfinals
Friday, April 24
No. 2 Loyola-Chicago vs. No. 7 Quincy
No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 6 Ball State
No. 4 IPFW vs. No. 5 Lindenwood
Saturday, April 25
No. 1 Lewis vs. Grand Canyon
The Cardinals will take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State, the No. 3 seed in the MIVA Tournament. In two meetings this season, both teams swept the match on their home floor.
"I was really excited when I heard we were playing Ohio State, this was a team that we have had success with this season," senior libero David Ryan Vander Meer said. "Everyone else is excited too, we know we can beat this team since we've done it before. We're excited for this opportunity."
Ball State landed the No. 6 seed with an overall record of 13-15 and a MIVA record of 6-10.
When Ball State and Ohio State met in Muncie on Feb. 21, the Cardinals were completely healthy and firing on all cylinders. After getting banged up and players missing time, the Buckeyes returned the favor on April 9 in Columbus, Ohio.
Ball State head coach Joel Walton said it's different the third time around.
"It's really how we expected thing to work out, going into the last season there were a lot of scenarios," Walton said. "The team that beat them is not the same team that lost to them, since we were dealing with a lot of injuries when we played at Ohio State."
Offensive efficiency has told the story in both meetings this season.
In the first match, the Cardinals had an attack percentage of .298 compared to the Buckeyes' .132. The stats flip-flopped in the second meeting, as Ball State hit .112 while Ohio State hit .333.
Traveling may also play a factor, as Ball State has been much better at home with only five losses at Worthen Arena this season.
"Our road is hard, because unless someone below us has an upset, we're going to end up playing all of our playoff matchups on the road," Walton said. "Which has been a tough hurdle for our team all season."
If the Cardinals surpass Ohio State, they will most likely be faced with a bigger challenge in No. 2 seed Loyola University, who has only lost two matches this season.
Both of those losses came to No. 1 seed Lewis, who is expected to make it to the title game from the other side of the bracket.
Ball State will look to return to early season form as it begins the tournament. Despite its lower seed, the Cardinals have shown they can take down top teams.
The Cardinals will have to get through five of the nation's top 15 teams to win the tournament. The match against the Buckeyes begins at 7 p.m. on April 24.
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