With eight of Ball State's last 11 matches being played at home, it may be second nature for fans to a assume a volleyball match will be playing in Worthen Arena almost every Friday and Saturday night at this point.
That feeling will soon be coming to an end.
Ball State (8-5, 2-3) will play its final two-match homestand of the season this weekend with 7:30 p.m. matches against Mount Olive (4-9) on Friday and Park (10-2) on Saturday. Depending on its seed in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament at the end of the season, the Cardinals are only scheduled to return home once, against Ohio State on March 18, for the rest of the year.
Even if the time on the road that lies ahead puts a strain on the Cardinals, an 11-day layoff lies that between their match against Park and their next match against Cal State Northridge on March 7 could give them a needed vacation.
No players on the team will benefit more from that extended time of rest than middle attackers Matt Leske and Kevin Owens.
With freshman Julian Welsh-White as the only middle attacker on the team behind the two starters, stamina is now at concern the position. Injuries and illnesses have forced the coaching staff to scale back the pressure put on Leske and Owens in practice.
"We can't do all the drills that we want to [and] we can't play the duration that we might ordinarily because there are certain things that we will do through the course of a natural practice that would absolutely exhaust our middles," coach Joel Walton said. "There's only a matter of time before they're worn out and you're being counterproductive with our training."
Jeff Aucoin, a senior outside attacker, could help offset any fatigue on the team as early as this week. Walton said he plans on inserting Aucoin into the rotation soon now that he is returning to near perfect health after he suffered an ankle injury in the fall.
Aucoin's presence gives sophomore setter Graham McIlvaine another option at the pins, which Ball State has needed recently as Shane Witmer struggles to break out of a slump. The freshman outside attacker hasn't hit above .143 in the past three matches and is hitting .133 overall in the team's 13 matches.
Walton was quick to praise Aucoin's athleticism and skills, and said he is "looking for an opportunity to get [Aucoin] on the court."
"He's still somebody that I see as a potential wild card for us as we go into the second half of our season," Walton said. "Without people having seen him a lot, he's a very athletic kid. He's got a great arm, and I know he's just chomping at the bit waiting for the chance to get on the court."
Even with a lineup of hitters that doesn't include Aucoin, McIlvaine has guided the team's offense to more efficient results in three of the past four matches. Without including a blowout loss to Ohio State, Ball State has hit .252 in the past two weeks, well above its season average of .214.
"We're still continuing to work on our offensive tempo and trying to improve that," Walton said. "This is a good week because we've got two matches this weekend against non-conference opponent, so that we can be hashing out and polishing up some of the issues that we have with our offense."
For more men's volleyball coverage, follow @andrewmishler on Twitter.
Manager wanted
The Ball State men's volleyball team is looking for a manager for the remainder of the 2012 season and the 2013 season. If you're interested in the position, contact coach Joel Walton at 765-285-1744.
Matches
Ball State vs. Mount Olive at 7:30 p.m. on Friday
Ball State vs. Park at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday
Media
WCRD 91.3
Projected starting lineup
Middle attackers: Matt Leske, Kevin Owens
Outside attackers: Larry Wrather, Shane Witmer, Greg Herceg
Setter: Graham McIlvaine
Libero: Tommy Rouse
Predictions
Ball State wins both matches 3-0
Ball State has swept two competitive MIVA teams in Quincy and IPFW and one future MIVA team in Lindenwood in the past two weeks. The 0-3 loss to Ohio State was ugly, but this team has improved its serve and offensive ability enough to prove itself to be the fourth best team in the conference as of right now. If the Cardinals continue to build on that this weekend, they shouldn't have any problem picking up two wins this weekend.
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