Muncie, Indian- Charleston men's volleyball dropped a three-set decision on the road Friday night, falling 3-0 to Ball State inside Worthen Arena. The Golden Eagles battled throughout the match and kept sets two and three within reach, but Ball State's early pressure and late-set execution proved to be the difference as Charleston moved to 2-3 on the season.
The Basics:
Location: Worthen Arena (Muncie, IN)
Score: Ball State 3, Charleston 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-20)
Records: Charleston 2-3 (0-0 EIVA), Ball State 6-1 (0-0 MIVA)
How it Happened:
Set one belonged to Ball State from the opening serve as the Cardinals jumped out quickly and never allowed Charleston to settle in. Ball State built separation early, hitting double digits first and holding a steady advantage as they reached 20 points while Charleston sat at 14. Charleston continued to fight, but Ball State finished the frame on a 4-1 run to close out the opening set, 25-18.
Charleston responded in set two with a much stronger start, earning the first point and keeping things even early as the score sat tied at 2-2. Ball State used a pair of small runs to take a 6-3 lead, but the Golden Eagles answered right back and tied it at 6-6. The teams continued to trade points with the set tied again at 10-10, and Charleston later edged in front 16-14 before Ball State evened it at 16-16. The score stayed tight late, tying again at 18-18, but Ball State hit 20 first and built enough separation down the stretch to take the set 25-22. Charleston made a late surge to keep it close, sparked by a kill from Lucas Torres and a service ace from Torres as well, but a service error late helped Ball State close the door.
Set three followed a similar script with both teams matching each other early. Charleston stayed within striking distance, but Ball State reached double digits first with a 10-7 advantage and then used a four-point run to stretch the lead to 14-9. The Golden Eagles fought back to close the gap to 14-12, but Ball State continued to hold the same cushion and kept Charleston from fully swinging momentum. The teams traded points late from 19-16 all the way to 22-19, but Ball State scored two late points to push the margin to 24-19. A kill from Braxton Francis kept Charleston alive, but Ball State finished with the final kill to take the third set 25-20 and complete the sweep.
Offensively, Lucas Torres led the Golden Eagles with 10 kills, while Samuel Alo added nine.
Defensively, Yotam Briger paced Charleston with six digs as the Golden Eagles continued to battle through long rallies and key stretches late in each set.
Up Next:
Charleston returns home to host Queens University of Charlotte on Friday, January 30 at 7 p.m. inside the Wehrle Innovation Center.
