WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Family connection plays part in Ball State-IPFW matchup

Ball State freshman setter, IPFW assistant coach and Steve Shondell are all related to each other

Ball State freshman setter Jaclyn Fullove is no stranger to competing with family members.

Fullove's uncle, Ball State head coach Steve Shondell, reunited with her this season after he coached her when she was 12 years old.

In Ball State's 3-1 win over IPFW Sunday, however, Fullove was competing against her own family rather than competing with them.

The family member she was competing against was Jasmine Fullove, IPFW's assistant coach and older sister of Jaclyn Fullove.

After the match, Fullove said she was pumped to get the win over IPFW and her sister.

"It is exciting," Fullove said. "I love my sister to death, but you just got to play the game and fight for the win all the time."

In the final set of the match, Shondell brought Fullove off the bench to serve match point.

"It was really a unique situation for my dad [Don Shondell] and our family today," he said. "That's why I wanted to get Jackie in there at the end to let her play against her sister."

Shondell said it felt good to allow his niece to make her collegiate debut against her sister.

"I'm glad she came in and got her serve in," he said.

Fullove said she assumed Shondell would bring her in because of her sister, mother and grandfather in attendance.

"I kind of had a feeling he was going to do that," Fullove said. "I was nervous. But I got the job done, so I guess it's OK."

Jasmine Fullove said she enjoyed seeing her little sister come in for match point.

"Yesterday, she actually mentioned to me that he tends to do that ‘game point, bring somebody off the bench,' and she was nervous because she thought it was going to be her," Fullove said. "When I saw he put her in, I was thinking, ‘Oh she better make this serve,' because she was talking about it yesterday, about not wanting to miss her serve. It was just funny to see her in there. I'm glad she got that opportunity."

She also said it was a lot of fun to coach against her younger sister and uncle.

"It's something that doesn't happen to everybody," she said.


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