MUNCIE, Ind. (Feb. 18, 2022) – After a five-set match against the No. 14 Buckeyes of Ohio State, the Loyola University Chicago men's volleyball team (7-5, 3-0 MIVA) is making the trip to Muncie, Indiana, to take on the No. 7 Ball State University Cardinals (9-1, 3-0 MIVA) for a MIVA contest. These two teams are the only ones still undefeated in this eight-team conference.
LAST TIME OUT
The Ramblers are coming off a big five-set win over the No. 14 Ohio State University Buckeyes, who originally were up 2-1 over Loyola following the third set. The Maroon and Gold fought hard against Ohio State to pull out the win, helping the team to their 3-0 start in the MIVA.
Redshirt freshman
Parker Van Buren, who is coming off an AVCA Division I-II Player of the Week accolade, killed it again for the Ramblers. He ended the night with a new career-high in kills with 27 while hitting .431. Seniors
Garrett Zolg and
Henry Payne were also influential for Loyola as Zolg contributed 44 assists and two aces while Payne had a team-high 10 digs.
RUFFLING THE CARDINALS' FEATHERS
Ball State comes into this match following a five-set win over the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons to put them at 3-0 to start MIVA play. The only match the Cardinals lost this season was against No. 9 BYU. Ball State even beat the No. 1 team in the country, Hawaii, twice during the season.
The Cardinals rank in the top 10 in the NCAA in seven statistical categories. They are No. 1 in three of them: assists per set (13.24), hitting percentage (.387) and kills per set (14.24). They are also third in digs per set (9.76) and win-loss percentage (.900). When it comes to the MIVA, they rank in the top three in every category, holding down the No. 1 spot in five of the nine.
When it comes to individual rankings, Ball State has the most efficient setter in the country in Quinn Isaacson as he is No. 1 in assists per set with 12.06. They also have one of the best attackers in the country in Kaleb Jenness, who is second in the nation in kills per set and points per set, averaging 5.00 and 5.54, respectively.
WHEREABOUTS
First serve will be in Worthen Arena on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT in Muncie. Live stats will be available. There will be no live stream for this match.
