Facing an abundance of adversity heading into the Ball State Tournament last weekend, Steve Shondell and his team exemplified the kind of grit and determination it takes to succeed.
Shondell is a proven winner. His overall mark of 49-13 (.790) in his two seasons back it up. But we've never truly seen how he handles the pain of agony and defeat.
The last couple of weeks have given us insight as to how Shondell reacts under pressure.
The answer?
He simply doesn't miss a beat. He refuses to back down.
This group was up against the ropes, and struggled to gain any confidence and consistency when it entered the Northern Colorado Classic two weeks ago.
The aftermath was harsh. The Cardinals dropped all three of its matches, extending its losing streak to three straight, while having just one win in its last five contests. With the Cardinals' leadership in question, the forecast for the immediate future looked dark and gloomy.
In stepped Shondell, the ultimate cure to all of the Cardinals' problems.
Shondell challenged senior outside hitter Kara Bates to show a more positive leadership role on the court.
He demanded better play, especially from Bates. He knew his team was capable of playing to a much higher degree. He knew they had more fight in them. He knew his team had a stronger backbone than what it was showing.
Bates accepted Shondell's challenge. She had no other choice. It was either continue to jeopardize the season or rise up and become a leader.
She went with the latter, and the rest of the Cardinals followed her lead. Winning the Ball State Tournament over the weekend was proof. Bates' dominant performance earned her Most Valuable Player of the tournament in addition to earning Mid-American Conference West Offensive Player of the Week.
Bates responded to Shondell's cry for help. She rose to the challenge and performed like a true leader.
That's exactly what Shondell wanted from Bates. If it weren't for Shondell's wisdom, the Cardinals would continue to be lost in a downward spiral, and perhaps let the season slip away.
Now that Shondell has mended his teams' wounds, the Cardinals will enter tonight's MAC opener against Toledo full of confidence, instead of sorrow.
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