All Things Roger-Roger for Ball State
The Cardinals continue their strong MIVA performance with an upset win at Ohio State.
Coming into the season, the Ball State Cardinals were picked to finish third in the MIVA. Apparently, they took that personally. Last night, two of their four sets went to overtime, but Ball State came out on top at Ohio State. Coming into the match, the Buckeyes were 9-2 at home this season and Ball State was 3-5 away.
The Cardinals were led by Sophomore Outside Hitter, Patrick Rogers. This transfer from St. Francis Brooklyn is making a big impact this year.1 Last night, Rogers had a season-high 24 kills to go along with his 8 digs. He currently leads his team in points, kills, kills/set, aces, digs, and digs/set. Not too shabby!
With that win, Ball State created some room at the top of the MIVA standings. They are now 9-1 in conference play while Ohio State stays in second place at 8-3. It can’t be said enough but the MIVA is tons of fun and provides incredible volleyball year after year.
I also want to give a shoutout to the other upset of the night. McKendree defeated Lewis in five. The strong away victory is great for the Bearcats as they show the depth that the MIVA has to offer. The MIVA is truly a gift to volleyball fans everywhere.
Match Recaps
Big West
UC San Diego (69%) def. CSU Northridge (31%)
3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-23)
MIVA
Ball State (26%) def. Ohio State (74%)
3-1 (34-32, 15-25, 25-22, 26-24)
McKendree (32%) def. Lewis (68%)
3-2 (21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 15-11)
Loyola Chicago (96%) def. Quincy (4%)
3-1 (25-18, 25-17, 19-25, 25-14)
MPSF
Pepperdine (71%) def. Southern California (29%)
3-1 (22-25, 28-26, 25-23, 25-20)
Non-conference
Roberts Wesleyan (66%) def. Kentucky State (34%)
3-1 (25-14, 17-25, 25-17, 25-17)
Match Projections
Big West
Hawai'i (47%) vs Long Beach (53%)
UC San Diego (61%) vs CSU Northridge (39%)
UC Irvine (81%) vs UC Santa Barbara (19%)
IVA
Lincoln Memorial (87%) vs Thomas More (13%)
MIVA
Lindenwood (42%) vs Purdue Fort Wayne (58%)
NEC
Merrimack (34%) vs Sacred Heart (66%)
Non-conference
Tusculum (12%) vs Belmont Abbey (88%)
Warner (9%) vs King (91%)
Charleston (41%) vs North Greenville (59%)
Mount Olive (28%) vs George Mason (72%)
Kentucky State (20%) vs Dominican (80%)
St. Thomas Aquinas (6%) vs Long Island (94%)
Edward Waters (90%) vs Reinhardt (10%)
NJIT (7%) vs Grand Canyon (93%)
Princeton (85%) vs Fairleigh Dickinson (15%)
In a dramatic and saddening move last year, St. Francis Brooklyn eliminated all athletics.
The shocking result to me was in the Big West. The Tritons win means that every team has a chance every night in that conference.
The parity there is being seen in other conferences this year and that is great for fans of the sport.