MUNCIE, IN   —   Missouri S&T Men's Volleyball battled through four competitive sets Friday night at Worthen Arena but came up short in a 3–1 decision against #16 Ball State to open the 2025–26 season.

The Miners set the tone early in the opening frame, getting a block on the first point and jumping out to a quick 5–1 advantage. Ball State would tie the score 8-8, beginning an eight point stretch that featured four ties and a pair of lead changes. The Cardinals and Miners matched each other point for point through the remainder of the set, with neither team leading by more than one until a pair of kills by Nate Meyer (Arlington Heights, Ill./Hersey) put the set away at 28-26.

Kills from Zachary Carff (O'Fallon, Mo./St. Dominic) and Caleb Rohlwing (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) opened a 4-2 S&T lead in the second frame, but a four-point run by Ball State a little while later put the host team up 10-8. Kills from Aaron Sallade (Palatine, Ill./William Fremd) and Tyler Johnwick (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East) helped the Miners erase the deficit before the Cardinals pulled ahead again, this time with a 5-1 run. Sallade was efficient late, adding another kill along with a service ace before Ball State was able to tie the match at one set all.

Carff and Johnwick each recorded a couple of kills early in set three, helping the Miners keep close at 6-7 before a nine-point run gave Ball State a big lead. S&T strung together four points in a row late in the set, but it proved too little too late as the Cardinals moved ahead to take a 2-1 set lead.

The fourth set featured another strong opening from Missouri S&T, with the Miners trading points early and staying within a points of the 16th-ranked Cardinals. A 6-1 run by Ball State gave them a 14-8 advantage, but the Miners responded with a 5-1 late in the set to cut the deficit to three at 23-20. Back-to-back kills from Ball State would cut the comeback short though, giving the Cardinals the victory in four sets.

Meyer led Missouri S&T offensively with a team-high 14 kills, while Sallade was close behind with 12 of his own. Johnwick was efficient, hitting .909 with 10 kills on 11 attempts. The team combined for six blocks, with three of them coming from Rohlwing.

What's Next
S&T plays Purdue Fort Wayne at 1pm tomorrow.

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