With the arrival of Mid-American Conference play this week, Ball State will need its entire lineup to be focused for tough battles against Toledo and Akron.
Unfortunately for the Cardinals, a key member of their lineup will likely be limited by an injury in both matches.
Sophomore outside hitter Kylee Baker recently aggravated a shoulder injury that she'll play through this week.
Baker's shoulder injury first occurred this past spring, keeping her out of action for a month. The issue flared up again recently, causing Ball State to become more cautious with her on the court.
Coach Steve Shondell said her condition is improving though, with the hope that she'll be completely ready this week.
"She's having treatment this week, and we're hoping she'll be available by Thursday, but only time will tell" Shondell said.
Baker's injury, however, did give Ball State a glimpse at its depth this past weekend in the Spartan Invitational.
Outside hitters junior Kara Bates and sophomore Whitney Heeres didn't miss a beat. The two players combined for 65 kills in Ball State's three tournament matches and proved that the Cardinals have a deep amount of quality players.
Despite Baker's injury, Shondell said the outside hitter position has some of the most depth on the team, making Ball State capable of playing well even if she's limited on the court.
"We really have three starting outside hitters. All three of them really deserve to be on the court," Shondell said earlier this season. "Unfortunately, you can only play two at a time. But it's also good to have a player on the bench who can come in and not miss a beat.
"It really doesn't make a difference which two of the three start. They're all three starters."
Ball State is relatively healthy at every other position, although the nicks and bumps of playing through a long and tiring season have started to spring up, Shondell said. But the Cardinals will continue to push themselves to become better as they prepare to play Toledo Thursday at 7 p.m.
"We've still got a lot of work to do and a long way to go," Shondell said. "From a record standpoint, we've got to be pleased with a 11-2 pre-conference record. But that's in the past, and now we've got to prepare for a grueling MAC schedule which starts Thursday night with a really tough battle with an excellent Toledo team."
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