CHIRP TV - Sports editor Andrew Mishler and staff reporter Steven Ward discuss the state of the men's volleyball team after the team wrapped up their January schedule.
It hasn't been much of a typical season in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
Ohio State, which has won four straight regular season conference titles, is in a state of uncertainty with a revamped starting lineup. Quincy, a conference team usually stuck in mediocrity, is suddenly undefeated with a 6-0 record. And Grand Canyon, entering its third year in the MIVA, is showing immediate signs of improvement.
Ball State hasn't been left out of the confusion. Even with a 5-2 record, several close wins and losses by the Cardinals have made it difficult to say how good they really are playing.
That could end today. Ball State will open its conference season this week at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Worthen Arena as it plays preseason MIVA favorite Loyola and Lewis at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday to pair together two of its toughest matches this season.
Any added pressure this week hasn't seemed to rattle Ball State's youngest starter, freshman outside attacker Shane Witmer, who exuded a calm yet determined attitude prior to practice on Wednesday.
"We know we can compete in the MIVA this year, definitely," Witmer said. "I think the MIVA's generally, at least this year, wide open as far as not knowing who is the favorite this year. We know Lewis is good, Loyola's going to be there, Ohio State lost people, but there's always going to be there. We just have to go out and play our game and we're going to be fine."
Loyola's 5-5 record may make their preseason recognition look undeserved a month into the season, but its level of competition reflects on that. Loyola barely lost in five sets to No. 1 Brigham Young on Jan. 6 and has also lost to top-15 teams Long Beach State, Penn State and Stanford this season.
A 3-0 sweep against No. 12 Pacific on Jan. 13 helps Loyola's case.
"They've lost some close matches this year, so I don't think their record really shows how good they are," Witmer said.
Lewis may have been picked to finish third in the conference in the preseason, but the Flyers played far above that projection thus far. Earning wins over Penn State and Hawaii has shot Lewis up to sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll with a 6-2 record.
No matter what record a team owns right now, coach Joel Walton said the start of MIVA play should quickly tell if Ball State is a contender or a pretender. With a fairly inexperienced team on the court, bouts with two of the most experienced teams in the MIVA should make that even easier.
"It's a definite challenge for our group," Walton said. "We've got to show up and play with a maturity beyond our years. We are fighting a bit of an uphill battle this year in our conference, but its not that we don't have capable players. They just have to mature quickly and understand the importance of these two conference matches."
Fortunately for the Cardinals, the team should be at full health after junior right-side attacker Jamion Hartley was out with an illness for Ball State's win over Pfeiffer on Saturday.
Walton said Hartley "should" be ready to play after experiencing migraines during the team's last match.
A fully healthy Ball State team will be needed throughout all of MIVA play. For Walton, every match going forward is going to be a war.
"I don't think there is an easy match out there," he said.
For more men's volleyball coverage, follow @andrewmishler on Twitter.
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