Jaclyn Fullove may have been told it was possible, but she never expected it.
The sophomore setter saw the signal for a change and wasn’t expecting to nonchalantly be told to go set against the defending Mid-American Conference champions, especially after participating in only six sets all year.
“I’m not going to lie; I was very nervous,” Fullove said. “It was just nice to have my teammates there. As soon as I walked in they came and hugged me and said, ‘You’re going to do great.’ I was nervous, but once it started getting going, my nerves went away and it just felt like I was back in practice.”
Fullove was a jump-starter for Ball State in the third set against Northern Illinois. She posted 10 assists in the third set.
The Cardinals struggled in the first two sets similar to how it did against Western Michigan on Friday. But Ball State (13-14, 6-8 MAC) couldn’t close the set out as the Huskies (18-12, 9-5 MAC) swept the Cardinals in three sets (14-25, 20-25, 21-25).
Ball State coach Steve Shondell said the change from junior starting setter Jacqui Seidel to Fullove was “just a quarterback change.”
“We were kind of treading water, and Jaclyn has worked hard all year in practice,” Shondell said. “Sometimes you just have to try something different.”
Two losses over the weekend weren’t unusual for Ball State, considering it was against two MAC teams it had already lost to this season.
But it was concerning how Ball State lost to Western Michigan and Northern Illinois in Ball State’s last real home weekend and just two weeks before the conference tournament starts.
Ball State fell to Western Michigan (18-9, 11-3 MAC) on Friday in three straight sets (17-25, 22-25, 11-25).
Ball State coach Steve Shondell said it could have been much worse as Ball State nearly lost senior outside hitter Kara Bates and senior middle blocker Lisa Scott to injury during the match. Bates rolled her ankle, and the training staff taped it up before heading back into the match toward the end of the second set.
Despite not playing well for the second consecutive match, Shondell said he’s focused on his team’s health.
“Obviously, I’m concerned,” he said. “But I’m more concerned about the health of our team right now.”
Both players returned in the match, but Ball State will use the next two weeks of practice to make sure its two best hitters are healthy for the MAC tournament.
The Cardinals allowed the Huskies to hit .352 for the day. For much of the first set, Northern Illinois’s attack percentage was hovering around .600. Scott led Ball State with 10 kills, despite dislocating her finger in the second set.
Shondell said the revolving lineup is a challenge after dealing with major and minor injuries to multiple players all year.
“When you’re playing experience teams that have had their lineup together all year, it makes it tough,” Shondell said. “All we can do is keep fighting, keep a positive attitude and keep working hard.”
