In front of 1,252 fans at Riverview Health Arena in Noblesville, the Ball State men's volleyball team did something the program hasn't done in 30 years: win an NCAA tournament match on the court.
Down 14-12 in the fifth set, one Pepperdine point away from elimination, the Cardinals scored four straight to take the regional final 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 16-14). They're heading to Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles for the Final Four.
The Comeback
The fifth set looked over. Pepperdine led 14-12 with the serve in hand. One point and the Waves were back in the national semifinals.
Then a Pepperdine service error: 14-13.
Patrick Rogers stepped to the service line. The senior outside hitter, a 2026 AVCA National Collegiate Men's Player of the Year semifinalist, was already having a monster match. His first serve set up a triple block from Ball State to even the score at 14-14. His second serve dropped between two Pepperdine defenders for an ace. His third serve ricocheted off a defender and the gym erupted.
Final score: Ball State 16, Pepperdine 14.
By the Numbers
Ball State out-hit Pepperdine .327 to .297 and tied a season-high with 17.5 total team blocks. The Cardinals also out-blocked the Waves at the net, 17.5 to 15.
Patrick Rogers finished with 15 kills, four service aces (match-high), and nine digs. The aces were the difference.
Ryan Louis led the team with 16 kills on .324 hitting and added five total blocks.
Will Patterson had a career night with 12 kills on a blistering .667 hitting clip and a career-high 11 blocks.
Lucas Machado ran the offense with 52 assists, two shy of his career best, plus seven blocks and six digs.
Wil Basilio added a career-high six blocks and nine digs.
A New Era Under Mike Iandolo
This is Ball State's 17th NCAA tournament appearance and the program's first NCAA tournament win since 1995. The Cardinals also reached the national semifinals in 2022, falling to Hawai'i in five sets, but the win over Pepperdine is their first on-court tournament victory in three decades.
Head coach Mike Iandolo did all of this in his first year leading the program. He won the MIVA Regular Season Championship, the MIVA Tournament Championship, and now a regional final, earning MIVA Coach of the Year honors along the way. It's one of the more impressive debut seasons in recent memory for any Indiana college program.
The Cardinals also avenged a 2002 NCAA tournament loss to Pepperdine, evening the all-time tournament series between the programs.
Next Stop: Pauley Pavilion
Ball State (26-4) heads to UCLA's Pauley Pavilion for the NCAA semifinals on Saturday, May 9. The bracket is loaded. UCLA is the No. 1 seed and the host. Hawai'i is No. 2. Long Beach State, the defending national champion, is No. 3. UC Irvine took down top-seeded UCLA in the other regional, so the field is wide open.
The semifinals stream on ESPN+. The national championship match airs Monday, May 11 on ESPN2.
Ball State has won 26 games this season. They've already authored one of the great comebacks in program history. Two more wins and they'll bring home the program's first national championship.
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