Despite being ravaged by injuries to essentially one position on the depth chart, Ball State has still found ways to compete during its four-match losing streak.
Even with juggling players at new positions, Ball State nearly beat Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan. One was a narrow five-set loss while the match against Eastern Michigan was a four-set loss that went into overtime in the final set.
Coach Steve Shondell said getting players settled in more in practice is a goal so that the rotation gets more comfortable, notably redshirt freshmen middle blockers Kelly Hopkins and Hayley Benson.
"Jenna [Spadafora] has stepped up and done a good job," Shondell said. "Hayley's come off the bench and given us a good blocking presence on the right side. It's great to have Hopkins back because it gives us a good blocking presence at the net."
Shondell said the inconsistency of Benson in her limited time could partially be attributed to having to play all over the front row this season.
"With Hopkins back, we're asking Benson mostly to focus on the right side," Shondell said. "That's really helped her. She's come on like a house on fire the last two weeks of practice."
Benson was strictly a middle blocker in high school and has had to change her approach.
"It's a totally different arm swing, a totally different approach," Benson said. "I basically had to relearn how to play my positions."
Benson said she and Hopkins are still getting moved around to multiple spots during practices.
"He's still got us both every which way," Benson said.
But Benson said for the most part they are still battling each other for playing time on the court.
"You kind of just have to learn to roll with it," she said. "If that's your role on the team, you just kind of have to go with it and do what you can."
With the added playing time of Hopkins and Benson, Shondell is loaded with depth in the middle while struggling on the outside. Senior middle blocker Lisa Scott has been improving all year and is near the top in the Mid-American Conference in attack percentage.
Shondell said it's still early in conference play so Ball State has time to make sure it can qualify for the MAC tournament.
It will begin with the easier East Division on Friday against Kent State and then Ohio the next day.
"We just need to end that losing streak and get a win," Shondell said. "I feel like we're going to be in every single match we play, no matter who we play."
Shondell said Ball State's record doesn't really reflect how well the team has played this season.
"It's kind of disheartening because you know how well we've played," Shondell said. "We haven't been blown out by a team all year. If we keep working hard and we stay the course, I think at the end of the year we'll be right there ready for the MAC tournament."
Read More
Ball State defeats Northern Illinois behind Gorosito's shooting success
By Zach Carter / 2 days agoBall State junior guard Juasnse Gorosito dropped a season-high 24 points as the Cardinals defeated Northern Illinois in an overtime.
Delta girls' basketball wins first regional championship in program history
2 days agoDelta girls' basketball defeated Maconaquah 57-53 for the Eagles' first regional title in program history.
Jimmies and Joes not X’s and O’s: Ball State women’s basketball defeats Eastern Michigan
By Elijah Poe / 2 days agoThe Cardinals Jimmies and Joes lifted Ball State (20-5, 12-0 MAC) to a 74-69 win over the Eagles (1-22, 0-12). Ball State remains a perfect 12-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
