Now two days removed from being announced as at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Ball State women's volleyball team is still giddy about its selection to the national stage.
A sense of relief has replaced any worry or doubt players may have had prior to Sunday's announcement. Sophomore libero Catie Fredrich said she could barely stomach the intensity of watching the tournament selection show Sunday night.
"I was so stressed out and nervous," Fredrich said. "I sat next to Kara [Bates] and my hands were so clammy. She was squeezing onto my leg and was [saying], ‘I don't know what's going to happen.' It was just a relief to know that we're in the tournament, and we can just start playing from there."
Any remaining excitement will have to quickly subside into severe preparation for the first-round match against Louisville at 5 p.m. Friday in Belin Court at Purdue. The Cardinals will be leaving for West Lafayette on Wednesday, meaning they will only have three days of practice at Ball State, including Monday's practice.
Coach Steve Shondell said because Monday's practice was forced into one courts in the recreation center, an emphasis was placed on ball control and defense in the workout to limit jumping.
Even with the practice schedule laid out and the gameplan for Louisville beginning to take shape, the bigger picture is hard to ignore.
Ball State's entrance into the NCAA Tournament now comes one year after a disappointing first-round exit in the Mid-American Conference Tournament, only a week after the Cardinals had secured the 2010 MAC Conference Championship.
A at-large bid in 2011 which eluded Ball State in 2010 and the opportunity for Ball State to play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 may have finally cleansed the pain of its disappointing outcome last year.
"We've been striving for this goal for two years to get Ball State back into the big dance," Shondell said. "After ending with a broken heart a year ago, it's just a great feeling to see this group that's worked so hard get Ball State back into the NCAA tournament after a 10-year absence or so,
Shondell said the team has concentrated on reaching the NCAA tournament.
"It just meant the world to them to see their name on ESPN and reach one of their goals. And that was our focus this year. We wanted to get back into the NCAA Tournament because we missed out on that last year."
The turmoil of losing three straight matches in November provided Ball State with a chance to prove it had learned and improved from the disappointment of 2010. Fredrich said the team carried a different attitude this season that led to Ball State to reach a new level of competition.
"There was a point where we knew we weren't going to be conference champs, but we still were positive about it and said we could still do something about this and we could still make our RPI better and get into the tournament," she said. "We looked more to the future this year."
Accomplishing any goal, especially one that spans over a year, usually comes with a time of relaxation and celebration afterwards.
But even now as the proud owners of an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Cardinals won't accept a route other than preparing with passion and severity.
"It can't be a normal week," Fredrich said. "We have to have intense practices. We need to know that we don't want to just beat Louisville, we want to keep moving onto the next team. It's not just that we made it to the tournament. We need to work hard this week for sure."
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