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#4 Ball State men’s volleyball loses to #1 Hawai’i 3-2 in the national semi-final

By Stan Sollars, IPR News | Published on in Ball State, Local News, Sports
Photo by Samantha Blankenship (Ball State Creative Services)

Ball State’s 4th-ranked men’s volleyball Cardinals came very close to advancing to the national championship game in the NCAA tournament at UCLA’s Pauley Pavillion, Thursday night.  But the Cards lost a tight, five-set, national semi-final match to #1 Hawai’i, 3 to 2.  The scores were 28-26, 19-25, 20-25, 25-20, and 15-11.

The Cardinals end their season – one of high accomplishments – with an overall record of  23-and-4.  Ball State also won the regular-season Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) championship, and the MIVA tournament championship.  They entered the NCAA finals as the #2 seed.  Ball State has played in the NCAA Final Four of men’s volleyball more times than any school except for UCLA.  The Bruins lost Thursday on their home court to Long Beach State.  Hawai’i will face Long Beach State in the national championship match, Sunday.

First-year Ball State head coach — and National Coach of the Year — Donan Cruz told the Ball State Athletics website, “Proud of our team, proud of our fanbase. There’s not anything more we could ask, other than we’re going to move forward and grow from this moment.”