The Lindenwood men's volleyball team took on its second straight nationally-ranked opponent on Saturday night in Muncie, Ind. The Lions fell to No. 14 Ball State by scores of 25-17, 25-22, and 25-23.
 
Lindenwood had a chance to steal a victory in the final two sets. Both times, the two teams were tied at 22, but Ball State went on runs of 3-0 and 3-1 to complete the sweep over the Lions.
 
Both teams struggled offensively, with the two squads hitting below .250. The Lions averaged over 10 digs a set for the first time in 2015, and Ball State recorded 11 blocks in the match, five more than Lindenwood.
 
The Lions had four players with seven or more kills, led by Colin Hackworth with 11. Zach Bequette finished with eight kills, and Jake Duckworth and Logan Jarus each had seven. Bequette hit a team-high .615 with no errors in 13 attempts.
 
Connor Metcalfe led the team with 32 assists and 10 digs, and Jarus had a team-high five blocks, including three solo blocks.
 
Lindenwood falls to 2-3 on the season and 0-2 in MIVA play. The Lions will be in action again on Wednesday night at the newest MIVA member, McKendree.