Everything is going perfectly.
It's a sentence most coaches on any athletic level can't say only one week into the season.
But with a 3-0 start, a healthy lineup and improving play all-around, Ball State coach Steve Shondell can't find much to complain about.
"We're on track to where we want to go," he said. "All of our new players have fit in. I think we have a good chemistry and have a good focus. We've done everything that we can do so far."
Luckily for Shondell, new challenges lie right ahead on the team's schedule.
Ball State will face one of its biggest tests of the season this weekend with four road matches in two days.
Ball State will play Evansville and Valparaiso today and Murray State and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi on Saturday as a part of the Marriott Volley Brawl. The tournament is being hosted by Valparaiso.
Valparaiso coach Carin Avery isn't foreign to Ball State volleyball.
She graduated from Ball State in 1996 and led the Cardinals to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Avery is also one of Ball State's career leaders in 11 different statistics.
It will be a sentimental situation for a coach who has known Steve Shondell since she was 14 years old
And it could also be an awkward situation for a coach who still cheers on Ball State volleyball.
"I always cheer for Ball State except when they're playing us," Avery said in a phone interview. "I want them to go back to the NCAA Tournament. I know how much the volleyball community loves the program at Ball State, and so I really want them to get back to that high level of volleyball."
Ball State will get its crack at the tournament host at 7 p.m. tonight. And the Cardinals are preparing to play it at full health.
Sophomore right side hitter Lauren Grant has been cleared to play this weekend by the team's trainers, according to Shondell.
"She'll get to make her debut this weekend, and that's exciting," Shondell said. "We're excited to get Lauren some opportunities this weekend."
Ball State's depth receives a significant boost with Grant's addition. That depth will be heavily tested with four matches in two days.
Players such as Kara Bates, Claire Farkas and Lauren Schlaker may get extended playing time to keep the team fresh into the final match.
"[It's] almost unheard of in college volleyball," Shondell said. "It also places the importance of having depth. I'm looking forward to playing some people that maybe haven't played nearly as much as other people."
With so many different factors playing into Ball State's success in the next four matches, leaving the weekend as perfectly as it started could be the team's biggest challenge of all.
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