Saturday, March 15
Honolulu, HI
10:00 PM ET
Ball State University
14-8,6-3MIVA
3
vs
2
Penn State University
5-13,2-2EIVA
1
2
3
4
5
F
Ball St.
25
20
25
20
15
3
Penn St.
20
25
12
25
10
2
MVB Completes Outrigger Tournament with Win Over Penn State
March 16, 2025 | Men's Volleyball
HONOLULU, Hawaii – No. 12 Ball State men's volleyball defeated No. 19 Penn State 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 25-12, 20-25, 15-10) in the final match of the Outrigger Tournament Saturday afternoon in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Rajé Alleyne was a major difference maker for the Cardinals both, offensively and defensively. At a .371 clip, Alleyne added 17 kills and three aces for the Ball State offensive efforts. He also recorded four blocks and four digs to help shut down the Nittany Lions.
Other impact players from the night included Patrick Rogers and Braydon Savitski-Lynde. Rogers totaled 14 kills and generated five aces at the service line. Savitski-Lynde hit a .750 (9-0-12) and recorded four blocks at the net.
It was a slow start for the Cardinals, as the Nittany Lions opened set one with five straight. A kill from Patrick Rogers put Ball State on the board and the team was able to add two more, closing the gap at 3-5. The Cardinals continued to trail through 13-15 before putting together a six-point run, taking a 19-15 advantage. Ball State closed set one on a 25-20 Nittany Lion service error.
The Cardinals led the first half of frame two, pacing Penn State through 14-13. However, a kill and an ace from Penn State gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the match since the opening point. Penn State was able to hold on to the advantage, holding the Cardinals at 20 and tying the match at a set apiece.
With Peter Zurawski at the service line to open the third set, Ball State went on a dominant six-point run. It was all Cardinals the rest of the frame as the team saw another intense rally with Alleyne at the line, recording two aces among seven straight points. Ball State secured the set at 25-12 on a kill from Ryan Bartz.
Set four remained close through a 6-6 tie before the Penn State offense was able to put together enough points to slowly pull away. From a 7-6 Penn State kill, the Nittany Lions held on to the lead through the rest of the set. The Cardinals were shut down at 20-25, forcing a fifth set.
Ball State opened the fifth set with three in a row, causing Penn State to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions got one point right out of the break before the Cardinals added three more on a kill and back-to-back aces from Rogers to put the team ahead 6-1. Maintaining the lead, Ball State solidified the victory and defeated the Nittany Lions 15-10 in the final frame.
The Cardinals were able to hit .297 over the Nittany Lions who produced a .242 clip. Ball State also led at the service line, recording nine aces in comparison to Penn State's five.
Despite Penn State leading the overall record against the Cardinals 21-10, Ball State is now 6-4 in the last 10 matchups.
The Cardinals will return to conference play next week and travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on Queens University. Match one will be on Thursday, Mar. 20 with a 6 p.m. first serve and the second match will take place on Saturday, Mar. 22 for a 2 p.m. start.
Rajé Alleyne was a major difference maker for the Cardinals both, offensively and defensively. At a .371 clip, Alleyne added 17 kills and three aces for the Ball State offensive efforts. He also recorded four blocks and four digs to help shut down the Nittany Lions.
Other impact players from the night included Patrick Rogers and Braydon Savitski-Lynde. Rogers totaled 14 kills and generated five aces at the service line. Savitski-Lynde hit a .750 (9-0-12) and recorded four blocks at the net.
It was a slow start for the Cardinals, as the Nittany Lions opened set one with five straight. A kill from Patrick Rogers put Ball State on the board and the team was able to add two more, closing the gap at 3-5. The Cardinals continued to trail through 13-15 before putting together a six-point run, taking a 19-15 advantage. Ball State closed set one on a 25-20 Nittany Lion service error.
The Cardinals led the first half of frame two, pacing Penn State through 14-13. However, a kill and an ace from Penn State gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the match since the opening point. Penn State was able to hold on to the advantage, holding the Cardinals at 20 and tying the match at a set apiece.
With Peter Zurawski at the service line to open the third set, Ball State went on a dominant six-point run. It was all Cardinals the rest of the frame as the team saw another intense rally with Alleyne at the line, recording two aces among seven straight points. Ball State secured the set at 25-12 on a kill from Ryan Bartz.
Set four remained close through a 6-6 tie before the Penn State offense was able to put together enough points to slowly pull away. From a 7-6 Penn State kill, the Nittany Lions held on to the lead through the rest of the set. The Cardinals were shut down at 20-25, forcing a fifth set.
Ball State opened the fifth set with three in a row, causing Penn State to call a timeout. The Nittany Lions got one point right out of the break before the Cardinals added three more on a kill and back-to-back aces from Rogers to put the team ahead 6-1. Maintaining the lead, Ball State solidified the victory and defeated the Nittany Lions 15-10 in the final frame.
The Cardinals were able to hit .297 over the Nittany Lions who produced a .242 clip. Ball State also led at the service line, recording nine aces in comparison to Penn State's five.
Despite Penn State leading the overall record against the Cardinals 21-10, Ball State is now 6-4 in the last 10 matchups.
The Cardinals will return to conference play next week and travel to Charlotte, North Carolina to take on Queens University. Match one will be on Thursday, Mar. 20 with a 6 p.m. first serve and the second match will take place on Saturday, Mar. 22 for a 2 p.m. start.
Team Stats
BSU
PSU
Kills
55
52
Errors
20
23
Attempts
118
120
Hitting %
.297
.242
Points
72.0
64.0
Assists
51
50
Aces
9
5
Blocks
8
7
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
17
Aces
3
Blocks
4
Kills
14
Aces
5
Blocks
1
Kills
9
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
7
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH/OPP
/ Men's VolleyballOH
/ Men's VolleyballMB/OPP
/ Men's Volleyball
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