When men's volleyball player Kenny Cook was arrested in connection to a drug raid on his apartment Saturday, it was another sign of trouble for the team, head coach Joel Walton said.
"(Cook's arrest) is definitely a distraction in a year that's come full of distractions," Walton said.
On January 31, the Cardinals were playing their best volleyball of the season. They were 6-1 and ranked No. 5 in the nation heading into a match with Lewis, which was picked to finish second to the Cardinals in the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
The next day, just hours before the Lewis game, senior middle attacker Matt Denmark, his parents and a team trainer were involved in an auto accident that sent all four to the hospital.
The team was shaken and lost all momentum it may have had as Denmark was away from the team for almost a week. Since the accident, the team has gone 2-2, slipped to No. 12 in the USA Today/American Volleyball Coaches Association poll and fallen from first place to fifth in the MIVA.
"We're not totally over what happened to (Denmark)," Walton said. "(Cook's situation) is certainly not what we wanted to be thinking about this week."
Ball State's Athletics Communications won't allow Walton to comment on Cook or his status with the team. Rather, he is only allowed to reiterate what is said in an athletics communications department press release - that Cook is suspended from the team while the university investigates the case.
The Cardinals (8-3, 3-2) must now put all the distractions behind them and focus on MIVA opponents Ohio State and Mercyhurst, who come to Muncie Friday and Saturday nights, respectively.
Ohio State (7-4, 3-0) is in second place and has an undefeated record in the league. Despite being unbeaten in the conference, Walton said the Buckeyes have had an up and down year.
Their three wins have come against Clarke, Findlay and Mercyhurst who have a combined 2-13 record in the MIVA. Because of their relatively weak opponents, Walton said Ohio State's record is deceptive.
"(Ohio State) hasn't really played the better teams in the MIVA," Walton said. "They have yet to play Lewis, Loyola, IPFW and us."
Walton said he considers Mercyhurst (2-4, 0-1) in the bottom tier of the league. He added, though, that Mercyhurst is not a team the Cardinals want to underestimate.
Now that the Cardinals are on a bit of a cold streak, Walton said he doesn't want his team to start blaming each other and have its play get even worse.
"The danger whenever you get into what we're going through is to only focus on the negative things," Walton said. "There's a tendency to yell at each other and blame everyone else."
Walton said a big part of overcoming these distractions and getting back to playing good volleyball is staying mentally prepared and focused. Then, he said, the Cardinals' talent will show and they can get back to winning.
"We've got all the talent we need to win the MIVA this year," Walton said. "It's time for our true character to come through. It's up to our kids to prove it on the court."
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