When Ball State players walked off the court after beating St. Louis last Saturday, a sense of uncertainty filled the air between the cheers of celebration.
If the Cardinals weren't selected the following day for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, it would be the final match of the season as well as the end to the careers of four seniors.
Fortunately for them, a first-round match versus Louisville this Friday at 5 p.m. in Purdue University's Belin Court has given them a reason to breathe deep again. With the match now only one day away, the team is preparing for one of the most significant matches in Ball State's recent history.
"There's a lot of excitement here, but we're going to have a really tough opponent in Louisville," coach Steve Shondell said.
With players like Northern Illinois outside hitter Lauren Wicinski and Eastern Michigan outside hitter Rachel Iaquaniello in the Mid-American Conference, Ball State has already had to prepare for several talented attackers multiple times this season, who helped Northern Illinois, Central Michigan and Western Michigan also earn spots in the tournament.
That won't end on Friday. Louisville outside hitter Lola Arslanbekova has the third most kills per set in the nation heading into the first round match, only two spots behind the national leader in Wicinski.
Shondell said he's sure Arslanbekova will prove to be a tough defensive assignment for Ball State.
"[Arslanbekova] is awful good, and she's a big time player," Shondell said. "It'll definitely be a challenge, along with the rest of them. I watched them on video, and they're a really nice ball club."
The primary role in containing Arslanbekova falls on the shoulders of sophomore libero Catie Fredrich, who has already proven her worth this season with four separate MAC Defensive Player of the Week awards.
Fredrich may be able to use past experiences to her advantage as well in the match. She played against three Louisville players — outside hitter Emily Juhi, setter Taylor Brauneis and libero Caitlin Welch — in club volleyball during high school.
Whether it provides an advantage or not, Fredrich said she is looking forward to lining up across from a mostly unfamiliar team.
"I'm excited to play them," she said. "We've never played [Louisville] before, so it's a new team and a new experience."
What may help Ball State the most is it's match against St. Louis last Saturday.
Being able to prepare for a team mostly unknown to the entire group of players was a refreshing change from playing MAC teams for the last two months. With now having to prepare for another non-conference opponent this weekend, Ball State could be more comfortable with the situation.
"We played Eastern [Michigan] three times, and it was just keep going through the motions," Fredrich said. "I think we were more prepared for St. Louis because we didn't know anything about them. So when we got to watch a little film on them, we were more concentrated. Sometimes I like that.
"Sometimes I'm not focused on ‘She's going to hit the ball here every time,' because that's not how it's going to be. Just because she hit that in film one day doesn't mean she's going to do it again."
Friday's match may prove to be one of the biggest moments in the careers of many Ball State players, but student assistant coach Alyssa Rio said the team needs to not let the moment go over their heads.
"If you get too psyched out, that's when you start making errors," Rio said. "Everyone's going to be excited, and I think that will help people play, but you don't want to go overboard with the fact that we haven't been here before, because we don't want people to come out tight."
Now only one day before the start of the match, Fredrich said Ball State is itching to play.
"Once we get on the court we'll play our game."
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