The men's volleyball team will play perhaps its two biggest matches of the year this weekend at Mercyhurst and Ohio State.
"This weekend is going to have a great impact on the challenges we're going to face in the conference tournament," head coach Joel Walton said.
Heading into the final weekend of the regular season, Ball State is in fourth place in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association. With two wins, the Cardinals can finish third. Two losses, however, would drop them to fifth.
To host a quarterfinals game in the MIVA tournament, the team needs to be fourth-place or higher. A win Friday at Mercyhurst (2-12, 9-17) would guarantee them the fourth spot.
If they beat the Lakers, the Cardinals would most likely be tied with IPFW (9-6, 13-8), who plays Mercyhurst Saturday. If two teams have the same conference record, the tie-breaker is head-to-head record, games won in each match then points scored.
Ball State split its two matches with the Mastodons this season, both games in three sets. The Cardinals, however, scored three more points than IPFW in the matches, so they would win the tie-breaker.
If the team beats Ohio State on Saturday, it would be tied with the Buckeyes for third. Since Ohio State beat the Cardinals in five sets earlier in the year, Ball State would have to win in three or four sets to win the tie-breaker.
Even though Ohio State won the Feb. 21 match, the two teams each scored 130 total points. So, as long as Ball State outscores the Buckeyes while winning, it wins the tie-breaker.
Finishing fifth means the Cardinals would travel to IPFW for the first round of the MIVA tournament. If they finish fourth, IPFW comes to Ball State. If the Cardinals end up in third-place, they will play Quincy (5-9, 9-13) at home in the quarterfinals.
Walton said there is a big difference between playing Quincy and IPFW in the first round.
"(IPFW) has been playing really well the last part of the season," Walton said. "Quincy is just doing okay."
Walton added that the most significant difference in finishing fourth or third is who the Cardinals will play in the semifinals of the MIVA tournament. The fourth seed matches up with number one seed Lewis in the second round, while the three-seed would most likely play Loyola.
Lewis has only one conference loss and beat Ball State is three sets both matches. Loyola and the Cardinals split their season series 1-1, with both matches going in straight sets.
The team has struggled this season playing on consecutive nights, especially on the road. However, Walton said the Cardinals can make no excuses this weekend.
"We have to come out with the energy, motivation and desire to go in and play our best volleyball two nights in a row," Walton said. "We need to play consistently every time out."
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