Steve Shondell retired from his position as Ball State’s women’s volleyball head coach on March 28, and applicants have already began to show interest in the job.
Ball State Athletic Director Mark Sandy said that while the university has not begun actively seeking applicants for the position, there have been people who have begun reaching out to the athletic department.
“We’ll start to get emails — we have already — and phone calls about people who are nominating someone or want to be considered,” Sandy said. “At some point, we might reach out to three or four people who applied.”
This has been a decision on Shondell’s mind for a number of weeks. He first approached senior associate athletic director Karin Lee before speaking to Sandy.
“He just came and talked to [Lee]. … We talked two or three times over the next couple of weeks, and then he made the final decision that he thought it was time to retire,” Sandy said.
Once an official letter of resignation is received, the athletic department will open up the job for candidates to apply online.
When looking for an applicant, Sandy said being an alumnus is a positive, but anyone who is qualified for both the recruiting and coaching challenges will be considered.
“It’s certainly open when you consider a job and who might be a good fit,” Sandy said. “Having played volleyball here and being an alum is certainly a plus.”
Sandy will also be looking at current head coaches as an option and hopes applications will open within the next week so the athletic department can begin looking at candidates.
“We sort through [the applications] and then from that, we make a decision on who we are going to interview,” he said. “Probably two, maximum three people.”
Given his unique background, replacing Shondell is something that Sandy doesn’t think is possible to do.
“I don’t think we’ll find a replacement for [Shondell]," Sandy said. "I think we’ll just find someone to do the job in the next era."
Assistant coach Kelli Miller will take over the team for the remainder of the spring season until a head coach is hired. Miller, a graduate of Muncie Central High School, has been with the team for six seasons.
“Miller would love to have the job," Shondell said. "She’s been with me for six years. She knows our system, she knows our players, she knows our recruits. I think she would be a really solid choice for the job."
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