ST. CHARLES, MO- The Lindenwood Lions men’s volleyball team suffered its first home loss of the season Thursday night, falling in straight sets to Ball State Cardinals men’s volleyball, 25-20, 25-18, 26-24, inside Hyland Arena.
Lindenwood (17-4, 8-3 MIVA) struggled offensively throughout the match, hitting just .167 as a team. Ball State, meanwhile, was efficient and disciplined, finishing with a .406 hitting percentage and nine total blocks to control the net and dictate tempo.
Ball State opened the first set on a 9-4 run, forcing Lindenwood to burn an early timeout. The Lions responded with a push midway through the set, cutting the deficit to 15-13 after an ace from Owen Walsh. However, the Cardinals maintained their composure in extended rallies and closed the set on a 4-2 run to secure a 25-20 win.
Luke Kraft led Lindenwood with seven kills in the opening frame, but Ball State’s front-row presence proved decisive, recording 5.5 blocks and holding the Lions to a .167 hitting percentage.
The second set followed a similar script. Ball State jumped out to an 8-4 lead and never trailed. Lindenwood cut the margin to three points on multiple occasions but could not generate sustained momentum. The Cardinals capitalized on errors and continued their balanced attack to take the set 25-18 and move within one of a sweep.
In the third set, Lindenwood showed its most resilience.
Trailing 24-18 and facing match point, Caden Whiteside sparked a late rally with back-to-back kills. Moments later, Zach Solomon delivered three consecutive service aces, trimming the deficit to 24-23 and energizing the home crowd.
A clutch block by Walsh and Kraft tied the set at 24-24, capping a 6-0 run and giving the Lions a chance to extend the match. But Ball State responded immediately with two straight points to close the set 26-24 and complete the sweep.
The Cardinals hit an impressive .429 in the final set while holding Lindenwood to .111, underscoring their defensive dominance.
Kraft paced the Lions with 12 kills while Walsh added four kills on a .571 hitting percentage along with key contributions at the service line and net. Solomon orchestrated the offense with 27 assists and added five aces, including the late surge in the third set.
Lindenwood was undone by efficiency. The Cardinals totaled 36 kills on 69 attempts with just eight errors, compared to 34 kills and 20 errors for the Lions.
Lindenwood stayed home and took down #20 Purdue Fort Wayne in five sets before dropping back-to-back road contests against Lewis and Loyola Chicago to fall to 18-6 (9-5 MIVA) with two home matches left on the schedule before the conference tournament April 9 and 11 against Northern Kentucky and Ohio State.
