CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Queens University of Charlotte put up a strong fight but fell to No. 13 Ball State in four sets (25-22, 19-25, 18-25, 22-25) in MIVA conference action at the Levine Center on Saturday. Despite a strong start, the Royals were unable to sustain their momentum as the Cardinals took control in the later sets.
SET BY SET
Queens came out firing in the opening set, using an efficient attack to gain an early edge. Carson Strawbridge was a key factor, registering multiple kills to help the Royals establish a lead. Setter Cayden Marin distributed the ball well, while Matthew Pilch and Casey Maas also contributed offensively.
The Royals hit an impressive .414 in the first frame, tallying 15 kills with just three errors. A late push from Ball State tightened the score, but Queens held on to take the set 25-22.
Ball State responded in the second set, adjusting defensively to slow down the Royals' attack. Queens struggled to find the same offensive rhythm, hitting just .091 with eight attack errors. Meanwhile, the Cardinals leaned on outside hitter Tinaishe Ndavazocheva, who continued to find success against the Queens block. Despite a brief mid-set rally led by Pilch and Maas, Ball State pulled away late, taking the set 25-19 to even the match at 1-1.
Queens aimed to regain control in the third set but found themselves in an early hole as Ball State's offense clicked into high gear. Queens showed fight with key kills from Strawbridge and Maas, but Ball State's attack (.414) proved too much.
Queens fought hard in the fourth set, keeping pace with Ball State throughout. The Royals improved, hitting .269, and remained aggressive at the service line with three aces in the set. Strawbridge and Pilch continued to deliver, but Ball State executed in the closing moments to secure the 25-22 victory and clinch the match.
ROYAL RUNDOWN
POSTGAME COMMENTS
"We had to move some guys around, and I thought Casey Maas had a solid start to the match and I liked some of the things he did out there today," head coach Jeremy Price said. "This was the first match he has started in conference, and that was good to see. I also liked how some of the guys off the bench performed… I liked how Sev Allton came in the fourth set… Wilson Buchanan brought a lot of fight for us too. Ball State is a great team and we did a pretty good job but we haven't played a complete game in conference yet, and that is tough to do. The MIVA has a great set of teams to face and there are no off-nights in our conference."
UP NEXT
The Royals are back on March 27 to take on Lewis on the road for an 8 PM ET start.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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