MUNCIE, IND. – Playing its fourth straight ranked team, the Maryville men's volleyball battled against No. 12 Ball State before falling 17-25, 18-25, 22-25. Makai Scott led the Saints with 10 kills.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Aiden Whitemountain notched a kill on the match's opening point before the Cardinals took the lead. Down 8-3, the Saints reeled off three straight points. Scott had a kill, and Jayden Rookhuyzen served an ace. A BSU hitting error pulled the Saints to within 8-6. Tristan Benbow notched a kill as the Saints stayed close at 14-10. Jake Usher's kill made it 19-14 but Maryville never got any closer.
 
In the second set, the Saints surged to a 7-7 tie. AJ Robateau and Usher had a kill, and errors by Ball State tied the score at 7-7. A Scott kill deadlocked the game at 9-all. The Cardinals went back ahead but the Saints stayed close. Makai Nzioki and Whitemountain notched back-to-back kills as the Saints got to within 20-16. Maryville wasn't able to string together a run as BSU went up 2-0.
 
Ball State took an early lead to begin the third set. The Saints chipped away with a 3-0 run and closed to 12-9. Maryville used a 4-1 run to close the gap. After a Cardinals error, Robateau drilled down a kill. Consecutive errors by BSU forged a tie at 18-18. Whitemountain forced a tie at 19-all but Ball State edged ahead. Scott notched two straight kills to make it 23-22 but BSU scored two straight to close out the contest.

STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills: Makai Scott - 10
Hitting Percentage: Makai Scott - .318
Assists: Jake Usher - 19
Service Aces: three players - 1
Digs: Makai Scott and Ethan Tran - 3
Blocks: AJ Robateau and Jake Usher - 1
 
RECORDS
Maryville: 0-4
No. 12 Ball State: 5-1
 
What's Next?
The Saints remain in Indiana and face Purdue Fort Wayne Friday, Jan. 23, in a 6 pm CT / 7 pm ET match.