Match 21
#11 Lindenwood (17-3, 8-2 MIVA)
vs. #7 Ball State (18-3, 9-2 MIVA)
Match Information:
Date: Thursday, March 26, 2026
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Venue: Hyland Arena
First Serve: 7:00 PM CT
All-Time Series: 5-26 
Last Meeting: L, 1-3
Live Stats: #11 Lindenwood vs #7 Ball State
Watch: ESPN+

Last Time Out
The Lions are coming off two wins on the road at Queens last weekend, including a five set win on Saturday to move Lindenwood into second place in the MIVA with a conference record of 8-2. Caden Whiteside led the team with 25 kills total across the two matches played against the Royals, featuring a career-high 19 kills in Saturday's match on a hitting percentage of .483. Luke Kraft and Jake Schreiner also had solid weeks as Kraft finished with 21 kills and Schreiner had 15. Luke Koster set his career-high for assists in a single match with 42 on Saturday en route to Lindenwood's eighth road win of the 2026 season, which is the most in a single season since 2024. 

Scouting The Cardinals
Ball State is ranked seventh in the latest AVCA poll and currently leads the MIVA with a conference record of 9-2. The Cardinals have two players with over 230 kills on the 2026 season in Opposite Hitter Ryan Louis and Outside Hitter Patrick Rogers. Rogers leads the team with 259 kills and is averaging 3.75 kills per set, which ranks 13th best in the country among all qualified hitters. Defensively, Louis leads the Cardinals in blocks with 64 and has recorded five or more blocks in four matches played. In the last matchup between these two squads back on February 13, Lindenwood took the opening set 25-21 behind nine kills from Luke Kraft, but Ball State was able to win the next three sets to hand the Lions their first loss in the MIVA. 
 
Stats to Know

• Lindenwood ranks 12th in the country in team hitting percentage with a .322.
• Zach Solomon leads the country in aces per set averaging .667 service aces per set.
• The Lions rank second during conference play with 66 total service aces through 10 MIVA matches. 
• Lincoln Geist is fourth in the MIVA during conference matches with 74 total digs. Geist was named the MIVA Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday for the first time this season.

Up Next
Lindenwood will stay at home and will welcome #20 Purdue Fort Wayne on Saturday afternoon. First serve from Hyland Arena is set for 1 p.m. CT.