MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State men's volleyball program's dominant start to the 2026 season continues, as junior setter Lucas Machado has been recognized as the American Volleyball Coaches Association National Collegiate Player of the Week. Machado is the first Cardinal since Angelos Mandilaris in 2022 to earn the award. 

Machado earns his second weekly award of the season, being named the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 3. 

Machado guided the Cardinals to advance to a nine-match win streak and a 4-0 conference start with a total of 81 assists this past week versus No. 12 McKendree and No. 13 Lindenwood. Versus the Bearcats, Machado had 44 assists with six kills and seven digs while hitting .600. The next night versus the Lions, Machado tallied 37 assists to go along with seven kills on a .778 clip and seven digs. With 10.12 assists per set through the week, the junior led Ball State to an average hitting percentage of .406. 

The Cardinals look to continue its momentum on the road with conference matchups against No. 13 Ohio State on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and Northern Kentucky on Feb. 21 at 5 p.m.