Braydon Savitsky-Lind once won the NIC-10 championship as a 6-foot-6 junior basketball player, but as a senior he decided to focus solely on volleyball. In volleyball, he consistently dominated, leading the state in kills and leading Hononega's two teams, the only team in conference history to reach the sectional finals.
“He's always had a different type of athleticism and physicality,” Ball State coach Donnan Cruz said.
It also appeared in college. As a freshman on the Ball State team that won the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball Association regular season title, Savitsky-Lind ranked third on the team in kills.
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“That athleticism carried over as a freshman at Ball State,” Cruz said. “It was great. Braydon is one of the hardest working and leadership guys on the team. I was impressed with how he navigated the transition to college volleyball.”
Ball State missed the NCAA Tournament after losing in the fifth set to Lindenwood, 15-11, in the MIVA Tournament semifinals. Savicki-Lind had a strong performance against Lindenwood with 11 kills, tied for third-most this season.
Ball State finished 21-10 (13-3 MIVA), winning 20 games for the third year in a row under Coach Cruz, who is in his third year.
Savitzky-Lind finished with 154 kills. He had 69 digs, sixth on the team.
So what will happen to him next year?
“He's already made a huge leap forward,” Cruz said. “Anytime you bring back a player with on-court experience, you expect there to be some sustainability and continued progress. I think Braydon has that.
“This hasn't been a special year for him. It's been a special four years for him with three years ahead. That's the most exciting thing about Braydon. He has a chance to come back and get back to where he started. .”
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Savitzky-Lind is just one part of Ball State's solid lineup next year. While the Cardinals are the best team in the conference this season, they will not be representing MIVA in the NCAA as spots are determined by the postseason tournament, where No. 3 seed Ohio State defeated No. 4 seed Lindenwood. I was in the difficult position of not being able to do anything. In the finals.
“The regular season is difficult because it’s a test,” Cruz said. “You have to be exceptional for four months. But you also have to be good over seven days (in conference tournaments). That's the nature of most college sports.
“We've got to pull ourselves together and get ready for next year. We had a chance to get where we wanted to be, but we just fell short. It's something we wish had been different and we're looking forward to the next year. We hope it will change, but it is out of our control.
“We'll be back as one of the top two teams in the conference next year. There's no question that us and Ohio State are leading the way to MIVA. As head coaches, we're going to be one of the top two teams in the conference. I have higher expectations.”
This article originally appeared in the Rockford Register-Star: Braydon Savitsky-Lind gets off to a strong start with Ball State men's volleyball
