When asked in early September how long it would take for Kara Bates to feel comfortable on the court for the Ball State women's volleyball team, coach Steve Shondell tossed out a few ideas. Maybe late September. Maybe sometime in October. But no matter what, Bates — an outside hitter transfer from Maryland — would be brought along slowly.
She was never expected to make an immediate impact.
This weekend, Bates broke out from her adjustment period. She proved she was ready to make an impact, leading Ball State to two wins with 34 kills and overall attack percentage of .364 in two matches on Saturday over Sacred Heart and Virginia Commonwealth. She also collected 17 digs and six block assists in both matches.
"She had two really solid matches Saturday," Shondell said. "Kara's just gaining confidence in each and every match she plays and getting more comfortable with our team on the court."
Bates first flashed her talent two weeks ago in the Marriott Volley Brawl. She posted 10 kills against Valparaiso and followed it up the next day with 11 kills against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Now at the end of non-conference play for Ball State, Bates has arguably become Ball State's best outside hitter. And it's taken her only a little over a month as a part of the team to prove it.
"She's starting to become the player we thought she could become. It's just taken some time," Shondell said. "It was just a matter of time before she started putting up some really positive offensive numbers."
For her exceptional play in the Spartan Invitational over the weekend, Bates was named to All-Tournament team. She was joined on the team by setter Brittany McGinnis, who Shondell also had high praise for after she earned 94 assists and a collective .897 success rate in three matches.
"[Brittany's] done a solid job for us this year," he said. "She's a very experienced and savvy player, and she's determined to have a great senior year. And so far, she's done everything that we've needed her to do, and she was really good this weekend."
Ball State leaves the weekend with a 2-1 tournament record, falling to Michigan State 3-0 on Friday, and an 11-2 overall record.
The Cardinals will now transition into Mid-American Conference play with a home match against The Rockets on Thursday at 7 p.m.
"There have been five matches in the past two weekends that have helped prepare us for our conference season," Shondell said. "We know it's going to be a fantastic league this year and every match is going to be tough. We feel like we've played a solid preseason schedule that will prepare us for conference play."
After being ousted from the first round of the MAC tournament by Toledo last November, blood should be boiling on Ball State's side of the court. In a highly competitive conference this season, there couldn't be a better opportunity for Ball State to make a lasting statement.
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