Facing the Mid-American Conference’s best in the midst of qualifying for the conference tournament can be a daunting task.
But coach Steve Shondell takes solace in his team’s ability to compete with teams on Ball State’s home floor.
“It’s always good to play [a team] a second time around,” Shondell said. “But we also have to realize that we may be playing some of these teams a third time when we go into the conference tournament. I’m looking forward to playing these teams again just to see what the difference is between then and now.”
Ball State lost to both Northern Illinois and Western Michigan on the road in late September. And on Friday, the Cardinals hope to get off to a better start while hosting the Broncos. Ball State lost the first set in that match scoring only 11 points in the face off.
Shondell said it’s an opportunity for the team to show how much Ball State’s improved since then.
That is something junior setter Jacqui Seidel said is completely different this time around as the stakes get higher for the Cardinals.
“I think we’re a completely different team than the first time we played both those teams,” Seidel said. “We’ve learned so much.”
The focus comes defensively for Ball State, Seidel said.
“That is the thing that has been the deciding factor, so that’s our main focus right now to beat those teams,” she said. “They all have good offenses so it will be huge.”
Junior libero Catie Fredrich has led the way defensively for Ball State, posting more than 20 digs in the last four matches.
But the blocking has been the key for Ball State as its climbed back into the MAC tournament picture. Ball State posted 21 total blocks in its upset win over then-undefeated Bowling Green on the road. It has recorded double digit blocks in two of the last three matches.
The defensive improvement came after losing Seidel and Fredrich for the match against the MAC East leader Ohio. Ball State struggled defensively in the three set loss, but Seidel said it wasn’t a setback for the team’s growth this year.
“As far as Catie and I go, it made us even hungrier,” Seidel said. “So as leaders it helped us to get everyone excited again.”
Shondell, a defense-first coach, said that area is where Ball State still needs to improve.
“If we can get double figure blocks, if we’re in the teens, you got to be satisfied with that,” he said. “We should be a team that gets double digits every match with our size.”
