On just the second day of 2024, Ball State men’s volleyball welcomed fans to Worthen Arena for its first match of the young campaign. The season-opening matchup marked the earliest kickoff of a Cardinals volleyball season in the rally-scoring era in 2001.
The red and white mimicked the abrupt start on the calendar with their play on the court, as Ball State enjoyed a quick sweep (25-9, 25-9, 25-11) of Wabash (0-1) to christen the new season.
“I thought we played a very consistent and clean game,” Ball State head coach Donan Cruz said. “And for us that was kind of the goal tonight was early on in the season.”
The Cardinals featured a new-look lineup to start the season, with the graduation of All-MIVA honorees Kaleb Jenness, David Flores and Felix Egharevba. Sophomore Griffin Satterfield, senior Rodney Wallace, freshman Braydon Savitski-Lynde and sophomore Patrick Rogers each made their debuts in the starting rotation, and six total newcomers donned the red and white for the first time.
Cruz expressed his confidence in the unproven starting lineup, citing the Cardinals’ effort in practice.
“I thought our guys translated everything we've been doing in training in the last three days, so it was just nice to see them execute,” Cruz said.
Satterfield’s starting nod at setter was perhaps the most significant change to Ball State’s rotation as the red and white look to replace Flores, whose assists/set mark (10.25) ranked sixth in the country last season.
The 6-foot-7-inch native of Camano Island, Washington, recorded 31 assists and six digs in his first start — all while seeing action in every set.
“Griff is our player of the game, in my opinion,” Cruz said.
Satterfield said that Flores was a “dad figure” to him last season, highlighting their relationship as a key to his development.
Satterfield set for a rotating unit of hitters, with eight players recording kills in the victory. Sophomore Nathan Goh, senior Trevor Phillips and Dyer Ball paced the Ball State front row with eight kills, each.
Ball State’s revamped rotation manufactured a strong team performance. The red and white hitters recorded 44 kills at a .618 hitting percentage, a mark that eclipsed all of its performances last season. The Cardinals also added six total blocks and 10 service aces, and they held their opponents to a .029 hitting percentage.
We’ve got a lot of new faces this year,” senior Wil McPhillips said. “So, we’re just getting them all locked in for the season.”
The win not only moved the Cardinals to a 1-0 record on the fresh season, but it also secured a winning start to the program’s overall series against Wabash. Ball State had never met the Little Giants in men’s volleyball prior to Tuesday night — last playing Wabash in any sport in 1973.
Ball State (1-0) will return to Worthen Arena tomorrow, January 3, for a midday doubleheader. The Cardinals are set for a rematch against Wabash at 11 a.m., and they will finish the day with a match against Thomas More (0-0) at 2 p.m.
“We’ll kind of throw some new guys out there, but we don't look at these three matches as us experimenting,” Cruz said. “We’re really trying to work out what we what we need to do.”
Contact Adam Altobella with comments on X @AltobellaAdam or via email at aaltobella@bsu.edu.
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