Since 1970, UCLA has won a record 19 NCAA men's volleyball championships. In the 2008 season it will play in Muncie for the first time.
The Ball State University men's volleyball team announced its 2008 schedule Thursday and plays home matches against UCLA Feb. 29 and March 1.
"It's pretty nuts," outside attacker Todd Chamberlain said. "It's going to be crazy and I'm looking forward to [playing UCLA]. We will definitely have a check mark by those games and it will probably be the best games all season."
In the 2007 season the Bruins swept the Cardinals twice in Los Angeles and finished No. 7 in the national rankings.
Coach Joel Walton said the Cardinals' trip to California last season was an attempt to influence UCLA's choice to come to Muncie.
"Most of the west-coast teams don't like to travel here," Walton said. "There wasn't anything in stone and in contract saying [UCLA] would have to come here because we went there."
A west-coast team has won all but four men's volleyball NCAA Championships since 1970.
Walton said their history makes west-coast teams feel they are better than teams from the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and east coast.
"There is that perception and an attitude you get from west-coast teams and their alumni," Walton said. "We need to go into these matches with pride and represent Ball State and the Midwest."
The 2008 home matches against UCLA are two of six matches Ball State plays against teams from California and Hawaii, double the amount of last season.
The Cardinals open the season Jan. 3 at the Outrigger Tournament in Honolulu, playing Hawai'i University, UCLA and Penn State University. Ball State also plays road matches at Pacific Feb. 1 and Stanford University Feb. 2.
"Everyone knows and thinks west-coast and California teams are stronger than east-coast teams," Chamberlain said. "It's a good opportunity for us and see how we compare to them,"
Ball State had one home match against a west-coast team in 2007, defeating Pacific University in five games.
Walton said it's difficult for west-coast teams to travel because the NCAA regulates teams play a maximum 28 regular season matches, not including road matches in Hawaii.
Most west-coast teams play 22 conference matches, allowing six non-conference matches. However, Ball State and other MIVA teams play 12 conference matches.
"It's tough to find a weekend where both teams are free," Walton said.
Ball State ended 2007 No. 13 in the national rankings. This season the Cardinals play 14 of 29 matches against teams that were nationally ranked last season. Stanford is the only west-coast team Ball State plays that wasn't nationally ranked last season.
"[Walton] always tries to make it as tough as he can and schedules the best possible teams," Chamberlain said. "It's exciting and it's why I came to Ball State because we are playing some high quality teams."
The men's volleyball team is the first of seven Ball State spring sport to release its 2008 schedules.
Ball State cemented its schedule quickly because the west-coast leagues previously released their conference schedule for the next three seasons, Walton said.
"It's a great schedule against high-level competition and by the end of the season we are going to have a clear idea of how good we are," Walton said.
Full schedule:
Jan. 3-5 at Outrigger Tournament (Honolulu) TBA
Jan. 11 at Quincy 7 p.m.
Jan. 12 at Loyola-Chicago 7 p.m.
Jan. 18 vs. Penn State 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19 vs. St. Francis 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 25 vs. Lewis 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 26 vs. NJIT 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 1 at Pacific 7 p.m.
Feb. 2 at Stanford 7 p.m.
Feb. 8 at George Mason 7 p.m.
Feb. 9 at Rutgers-Newark 7 p.m.
Feb. 15 vs. Ohio State 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 16 vs. Mercyhurst 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 19 vs. Loyola-Chicago 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 23 vs. East Stroundsburg 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 29 vs. UCLA 7:30 p.m.
March 1 vs. UCLA 7:30 p.m.
March 7 at IPFW 7 p.m.
March 8 at Mercyhurst 7 p.m.
March 21 vs. IPFW 7:30 p.m.
March 22 vs. Quincy 7:30 p.m.
March 28 at St. Francis 7 p.m.
March 29 at Penn State 7 p.m.
April 4 vs. Rutgers-Newark 7:30 p.m.
April 5 vs. Geogre Mason 7:30 p.m.
April 11 at Ohio State 7 p.m.
April 12 at Lewis 7 p.m.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
