This was Ball State's sixth Mid-American Conference (MAC) game of the season, making their overall record in the conference, 3-0-2, with their overall record on the season evening out to 5-5-2.
Wil McPhillips and his roommates were hosting a private party. According to McPhillips, an uninvited group came into the house and was quickly asked to leave. When they refused to leave, punches were thrown before the group left the house, but they congregated on the property outside the home.
“Rocky got knocked down in every fight, but he just keeps on getting up,” Neu said about the fight of the team. He says he has fought, scratched and clawed before and that the season is not over yet.
Between social media searches and increased viewership, Taylor Swift’s impact will only be outdone by the Super Bowl. She is bringing in new fans and revitalizing a slowly-dying audience.
Ball State finished the Badger Invitational in 11th place out of 18 teams. Junior Kash Bellar finished 4th individually at the invite.
Head coach Bill Richards believes in the Cardinals’ ability to succeed, and even though the preseason may be all individual, it still shows how far their potential upcoming tournament run could go.
“[Winning] It’s not going to be easy,” head coach Josh Rife laughed, “I look at it the other way, we scored two goals against a very quality team. Two ties, but we’re still undefeated in conference play which is big… our goal is still in front of us and still in our control.”
Ball State fell to 1-4 on the season and 0-1 in MAC play with a loss to Western Michigan (2-3, 1-1 MAC) at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, Mich. Up next, the Cardinals travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., for their second MAC contest of the season against Eastern Michigan (2-3, 0-1 MAC) Oct. 6.
“It was kind of a weird match,” Ball State head coach Kelli Miller Phillips said. “I felt like we didn't play our best volleyball, but I told the group at the end [that] sometimes it takes that experience of when you're not playing your best to still find a way to win.”
Ball State (1-4, 0-1 MAC) has to go 5-3 in MAC play to be eligible for a bowl game, and the Broncos (2-3, 1-1 MAC) added one to the loss column with a 42-24 result.
