The 13th-ranked Cardinals defeated Quincy (5-6, 1-6 MIVA) in three sets (25-15, 25-12, 25-20) on the Hawks’ home floor to record their fourth-straight win — tied for the red and white’s longest winning streak of the season.
Ball State atoned for its past struggles Saturday night, breaking Loyola Chicago’s precedent of home success in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) matchup. The No. 14 Cardinals defeated the No. 10 Ramblers (8-7, 3-2 MIVA) in five sets (25-16, 25-23, 22-25, 18-25, 15-11) inside hostile Gentile Arena.
Rogers’ contributions again paid dividends Thursday, as he helped No. 14 Ball State defeat rival Purdue Fort Wayne (7-6, 1-3 MIVA) in three sets (25-19, 26-24, 25-23) on the Cardinals’ home court.
Ball State prevailed in the offense-dominated match, downing Lindenwood (3-7, 0-3 MIVA) in a two-and-a-half hour, five-set thriller (22-25, 28-26, 25-23, 18-25, 21-19), inside the Lions’ Hyland Arena.
The Cardinals dropped a three-set battle (28-30, 23-25, 21-25) to McKendree (5-4, 2-1 MIVA) inside the Bearcats’ Melvin Price Convocation Center. The loss not only brought Ball State’s winning ways against McKendree to a halt, but it also marked the red and white’s first setback of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) this season.
In spite of the sizable contingent of fans in attendance, No. 15 Ball State was unable to manufacture a winning performance. The Cardinals fell to No. 8 Penn State (7-2) in a three-set battle (24-26, 22-25, 19-25).
Though Ball State enjoyed one of its finest offensive performances of the season, the Cardinals fell to Hawaii in a Sunday-evening showdown of two top 15 programs.
The 14th-ranked Cardinals were unable to avenge their prior loss, however, as they fell to No. 8 Stanford (6-0) in four sets (25-9, 21-25, 30-28, 25-18).
Despite his momentum and preseason accolades, the junior outside hitter was unable to play in Ball State’s first nine matches. Ndavazocheva made his long-awaited return against No. 13 USC on Friday in the First Point Collegiate Challenge, hosted in Austin, Texas.
No. 13 Ball State (5-2) followed its triumphant sweep of UC San Diego Thursday night with a four-set victory over Tusculum (0-2). The Cardinals will return to Worthen Arena January 13 at 6 p.m. for another match against Tusculum.
After falling on their home court in last year’s conference championship, the Cardinals are hopeful for a deep postseason push, even with new faces manning key roles in the rotation.
Since the time when the Delaware County high school basketball tournament was first constructed, the Burris Owls and Muncie Central Bearcats have not been included.
Ball State was unable to overcome its troubles at the service line and fell to BYU for its first loss of the 2024 season.
Ball State notched two wins in its midweek doubleheader against Wabash (0-2) and Thomas More (0-1) and will enter a weekend series against BYU with three victories to its credit.
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.
In the first round of the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship tournament, Ball State bested Middle Tennessee 3-1. The Cardinals will take on Clemson at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1.
The red and white extended their streak of recent triumphs Friday night, notching a 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 26-24) victory over Northern Illinois (8-20, 6-10 MAC). Ball State (15-12, 12-4 MAC) will return to Worthen Arena at 6 p.m. Nov. 11 for its home finale and Senior Day festivities.
