Patrick Rogers serves Ball State men's volleyball into NCAA Final Four

NOBLESVILLE — It was only fitting for the match to come down to the hand of Patrick Rogers. Ball State men's volleyball was locked into a battle with Pepperdine in an NCAA Regional Championship match. The Cardinals and Waves had traded the first four sets to force a fifth that was truly wild.

The Waves went up 4-1 early, but the Cardinals rallied to take an 11-7 lead. Then it was Pepperdine's turn to rally, stringing together a 7-1 run to force match point at 14-12. A service error by the Waves put the ball in Rogers' hands to serve it back, and Ball State came up with a block to tie it at 14 as the MIVA Player of the Year returned to the service line.

"I wouldn't have rather had anybody else but Pat on the line in that moment," Ball State coach Mike Iandolo said. Rogers answered the call, ripping two consecutive aces to secure a 16-14 fifth set and give Ball State a 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 25-22, 19-25, 16-14) victory for the match. The Cardinals clinched a spot in the NCAA Final Four, which will be played in Los Angeles, California.

Rogers finished with 15 kills and a match-high four service aces. More: Ball State men's volleyball to host biggest match in 34 years: 'Dad would be thrilled' "The main thing was to stay together and lean on each other when we were down," Rogers said. "It kind of came down to serve and pass from the beginning of the game.