Throughout Ball State’s season thus far, they have recorded wins over ranked opponents like Stanford, and hold a 7-3 record. The Cardinals put the non-conference slate behind them tonight, as Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) play kicked off.
Ball State welcomed the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons in tonight’s action to begin conference play for both teams. The Cardinals took a 3-2 win over the Mastodons (25-23, 23-25, 23-25, 25-20, 15-13).
Ball State head coach Donan Cruz spoke on how the team is adjusting to conference play.
“The biggest thing [with conference play] is that you have to be ready for a fight,” Cruz said. “In conference, everyone is trying to joust for those wins.”
Purdue Fort Wayne is a familiar foe for the Cardinals, but history is on Ball State’s side. The Cardinals lead the all-time series over the Mastodons 37-12, with the teams’ last meeting coming in March 2024 and a Ball State win.
Although Ball State dominates the all-time series, that does not downplay the season that Purdue Fort Wayne is having. The Mastodons are sitting at 5-2, coming off a ranked win against No. 19 Harvard. Both teams’ great start to the season was shown early, as the first set was tight. Neither team was able to get much of a lead, as it was back and forth until the very end, but the Cardinals prevailed to take set one.
This was freshman opposite Ryan Louis’ first conference game, and it did not disappoint for the young star.
“The adrenaline rush is unreal,” Louis said. “It’s so much fun being able to play and compete with a high-level team like this.”
Set two mirrored set one, as it was a contested battle between the two MIVA squads. Although Ball State was able to jump out to an early 11-6 lead, Purdue Fort Wayne battled back and took the second set to even the match out, 1-1.
Ndavazocheva as a senior has experience playing in the MIVA, and he knows the importance of conference play better than anyone.
“When it comes to conference play, you can not underrate anyone,” Ndavazocheva said. “They took us to a five. Each and every game is an opportunity to win.”
Purdue Fort Wayne got on a roll in set two, and that carried over to the first part of set three. They took an early 15-12 lead in the set, and that was the narrative for the rest of the set. Every time Ball State was able to make it close, the Mastodons would respond, and eventually went on to win the set, going up 2-1 in the match.
After dropping two sets in a row, the red and black were not going to let this one get away from them easily. They took an 11-6 lead in the set, thanks to a highlight reel-esque point from sophomore setter, Lucas Machado. The Cardinals were able to ride that momentum and go on to win the set, advancing to a must-win fifth set.
Every single set was close, with little room for error. Cruz talked about the team’s ability to win close sets, and how he wants to see that throughout the entire season.
“I think the matches that we played against BYU [Brigham Young University] put us in a good position to understand what it means to go the distance,” Cruz said. “In those moments you try to just play it like it is 0-0 again.”
Entering the fifth set, it was a must-win for both teams. With each team eager to start 1-0 in conference play,
Louis talked about what starting 1-0 in the conference means, and how the team wants to carry that over to the rest of conference play.
“It’s going to be electric,” Louis said. “Everyone is hyped and we are all ready to go.”
Conference games have a different feel than nonconference games, with every team in the conference having one thing in mind: a conference title. Cruz knows the importance of these games, and how he wants his players to treat these games.
“At the end of the road, the top seed hosts tournament matches, so being in front of our fans at home would be pretty substantial,” he said.
Ball State will be back in action when they take on Lewis University Feb. 13 at 7:00 PM at Worthen Arena.
Contact Kyle Stout with questions via email @kyle.stout@bsu.edu or via X @kylestoutdailyn.
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