(BALL STATE RELEASE)
FAIRFAX, Va. -- The Ball State men's volleyball team earned a split of its opening weekend at No. 13 George Mason with a four-set victory Saturday afternoon.
One day after notching 24 kills, Blake Reardon racked up 25 more to lead the attack, as the Cardinals bounced back from Friday's season-opening, five-set loss to the Patriots with a 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 26-24, 25-22) win.
Reardon hit for a .391 percentage and also added two of Ball State's seven service aces in the match. Kaleb Jenness registered 12 kills and had a hand in five blocks, while setter Quinn Isaacson ran the show with 45 assists.
After the teams traded the first two sets evenly, Ball State (1-1) flipped the match in its favor in the third. The Cardinals saw a 5-1 lead early in the set morph quickly into a 15-10 deficit but showed no fear of falling to the Patriots (1-1) again.
With Reardon and Will Hippe gearing up, the Cardinals chipped away and eventually drew even at 21-all. It stayed tight the rest of the way until a kill and an ace from Jenness on back-to-back plays gave the Cardinals the set.
Reardon continued to roll in the fourth, registering eight of his kills on 13 swings in what proved to be the final frame.
The Cardinals took command in the middle of the set, winning six of seven points to grab a 16-11 lead. BSU eventually stretched the lead to as many as six, enough cushion to hold off a late rally from the Patriots before Jenness' final kill put it away.
Ball State staved off a balanced attack from George Mason which put three players in double-figure kills: Jack Bolz (15), Omar Hoyos (11) and Brad Creamer (11).
The Cardinals will return to Muncie this coming week to open their home schedule, hosting Lincoln Memorial at 7 p.m. Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday. General public attendance is not permitted this season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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