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MEN'S VOLLEYBALL: Ball State opens first round in Arizona against Grand Canyon

Team has not opened MIVA tournament on road since 2000

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Come Friday night, both Joel Walton and Jeremy Price will be settling into unfamiliar positions.

Instead of staying in a hotel the eve before a volleyball match like he has the last two weeks, Price, the Grand Canyon men's volleyball coach, will be comfortably situated at home.

"We're just glad to not have to travel this weekend," Price said. "It's nice to sleep on our own beds."

The experience for Walton, coach of the Ball State men's volleyball team, will be much more foreign than a few weeks could produce.

As Ball State travels to play Grand Canyon in the quarterfinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament on Saturday, Walton will be coaching on the road in the first round for the first time since 2000.

Yet, traveling across the country for a volleyball match doesn't faze Walton much. The same goes for junior outside attacker Larry Wrather.

Even though the team is stuck with the fifth seed in the tournament and an improbable path to the MIVA Tournament Championship, both player and coach sound levelheaded in the days before the upcoming match.

"It's a great way to have Grand Canyon," Wrather said. "It's a match we know if we come out and fight, we can [win]."

Walton is taking a similar mind-set.

"The conference tournament has a different feel to it," Walton said. "You need to be ready for that and still be able to relax and play. We'd like to have [the team] understand that through getting wins as opposed to suffering through a loss."

The team's pre-match confidence isn't unlike the same feeling they expressed prior to last season's quarterfinals match against Quincy.

And they had every reason to feel that way, winning five of their previous six matches, one coming against nationally ranked Penn State.

None of that mattered once the postseason started. Quincy went on to win the match 3-1 and eliminate Ball State early in the tournament.

Wrather is one of the players still on the roster who remembers clearly how that disappointment felt. He said he's committed to making sure it doesn't happen again.

"What I can do is let the younger guys know that what happened last year can't happen again if we don't come to play and take that day off," Wrather said. "It can't happen to us."

The setup to the first round this season is certainly different.

Ball State has lost four of its past five matches and has been struggling with inconsistent play and injuries in that time. Setters Graham McIlvaine and Dan Wichmann have rotated with each other in leading the offense, and junior right-side attacker Jamion Hartley is still trying to come back from an injury.

Meanwhile, Price said Grand Canyon is about as healthy as it's been all season.

Every advantage seems to be in Grand Canyon's favor leading into the match.

And maybe, that's for the best for Ball State this time around.

"We're seeing some good signs," Walton said. "I feel like when our group is rested, focused [and] determined, we're playing some really good volleyball."

MATCH TIME MOVED

The original start time of 7 p.m. (MST) on Saturday in the match between Ball State and Grand Canyon has been moved an hour back, to 6 p.m. (MST).

The change was made to better accommodate Ball State's travel plans.

Since Ball State is used to match times between 7-7:30 p.m., the move should allow them to feel more comfortable on the court.

"It's not like we're going to get out there and feel like its super late at night," Walton said. "That's good."


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