On a snowy Thursday night in Muncie, men’s volleyball was back after a week's hiatus. The Ball State Cardinals welcomed in a Division Two opponent, the Lees McRae Bobcats. These two squads have matched up before, with the last matchup favoring the Cardinals in a win in 2018. Ball State leads the series 2-1.
The Cardinals used their skill and experience to take down Lees McRae 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-12).
Ball State is coming off of a homestand against Brigham Young University (BYU), where they dropped both games 3-2. Lees McRae is still winless on their 2025 campaign, and they had a tough task in front of them searching for their first win.
The Cardinals put out a different starting lineup than usual, with key players like opposite Raje Alleyne and outside hitter Tinaishe Ndavazocheva getting to rest to start the game. That did not matter for the red and white, as they dominated the first set. The score was 6-6 in the early portion of the set, but Ball State ran away with it and won 25-11.
Freshman opposite Ryan Louis started the game and got an extended amount of playing time. Louis took advantage of it and recorded seven first-set kills. Louis spoke on the feeling of that.
“It’s almost like a dream come true,” Louis said. “Going out here at this level of competition is so much fun, I’ve always dreamt of playing at this level so going out there and having fun is a blast.”
Head coach Donan Cruz had a meaning in his lineup changes, and he was proud of what he saw out of Louis, and others.
“That was not an experimental lineup, those are our guys that are the next guys up,” Cruz said. “A lot of our intention was to try and give them an opportunity to get a start and get them into a game routine.”
With all the momentum on the Cardinal’s side, they started the second set with all of the control. It was a dominant performance from start to finish, with Ball State jumping out to a 12-3 lead and never letting up, winning it 25-14.
It was a stress-free set for the Cards, where they were able to play freely and play with joy. Junior outside hitter Ryan Bartz spoke on the set two blowout.
“It was a lot of fun," Bartz said. “Our team is pretty close and we do a lot of things together so we are able to play with each other at any given point. It is something a good team has to have.”
After dominant set one and two performances, Ball State was right there at the finish line, ready to cut the stripes and win the match. They did just that taking the set 25-12 and putting the cherry on top of a great team performance.
The Cardinals were able to get back in the win column after two close losses last week to BYU, and Louis said it will do wonders for the locker room.
“We definitely bounced back strong after heartbreaking losses,” Louis said. “We came out, played, we knew what we had to do and we took care of business.”
There was a lot to like from the Cardinals tonight, and Cruz wants to see this type of performance carry on for the rest of the season.
“We really want to just keep working on our rhythm," Cruz said. “Walking away from tonight, the energy was consistent and our team cohesion was great.”
After the two back-and-forth matches with BYU, it was a change of pace in Worthen for the red and white to win 3-0. Bartz spoke about the feeling of the win.
“To come out here and play like that and beat these guys like that, it was reassuring that we are on the right track. I am very happy with how we played.”
Ball State will take on Maryville University Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
Contact Kyle Stout via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or via X @kylestoutdailyN
Read More
Comm Center Catchup: See what you might have missed!
By Ball State Daily / 10 hours agoWe know you are busy and sometimes it’s easy to miss important information from Ball State’s Communication Center. Don’t worry, Ball State Daily has got you covered! This week, read about grants, faculty programs, and STI testing for students.
Delaware County finalists for Fall Athlete of the Year awards
By Logan Connor and Zach Carter / 14 hours agoHere are the Fall Athlete of the Year nominees for the upcoming award show hosted by the Muncie Sports Commission and The Ball State Daily News.
Ball State’s Student Government Association (SGA) President Noah Poole delivers the state of the student body
By Shelby Anderson / YesterdayBall State’s Student Government Association (SGA) also welcomed Student Trustee Hope Churchill and Chief Administrator Hunter Case to its weekly senate meeting Jan. 22.
