For the Ball State coaching staff, it was a simple substitution call.
For Elias Aparcedo, it was something much more meaningful.
"Al, you're in."
In that moment, a yearlong wait was finally over.
Aparcedo, a junior setter who transferred to Ball State from IPFW prior to the 2011 season, took to the court during a live match for the first time in a Cardinal uniform.
In two sets of play in Ball State's 3-0 (25-9, 25-23, 25-20) sweep over Mount Olive on Friday, Aparcedo soaked in the feeling to once again play college volleyball.
"I've been working my butt off to get just a little playing time," he said. "Today was really an amazing time. My dream has always been to play college volleyball, so being out there today, I loved it."
Any shock to hearing his name called didn't last long for Aparcedo. He still had a job to do.
"You know what, I didn't really have one straightforward emotion or anything. I was just enjoying it," he said. "When I heard I was going out there, I'm like ‘you know, I'm just going to play.' It's like another day at practice pretty much for me."
Julian Welsh-White had a similar experience to Aparcedo, starting his first collegiate match while regular starter Matt Leske rested.
The freshman middle attacker hit .167 and recorded five kills and three block assists in three sets, which was the most exposure of his collegiate career.
It was enough for coach Joel Walton to say there was a great deal Welsh-White could take away from the match.
"What I like is it gives him something to remember, something to work on in practice," Walton said. "The moments where he's on the court and now we get to teach him through the experiences of actually playing a match, that's what I'm pleased with."
Welsh-White didn't hear he would be starting until after the pre-game prayer, but the spotlight didn't consume him.
Following the match, he remained his biggest critic.
"I just went out there and played my heart out," Welsh-White said. "I didn't expect to play great in my first start, [but I] definitely need to work on my blocking."
With Ball State (9-5, 2-3 MIVA) hosting No. 1 NAIA team Park today at 7:30, Walton said Leske will make a return to the starting lineup after a day of rest.
McIlvaine will also resume his role as the team's primary setter for the match.
The majority of the starting lineup proved itself in set one against Mount Olive by holding a Ball State Division I opponent to single digits in a set for the first time since Ball State beat Findlay in 2001.
With that lineup reinserted into the game plan, Aparcedo and Welsh-White will likely return to roles on the bench.
Nevertheless, both players said Friday match was only the beginning for them toward achieving long-term goals of success.
"It was a good first game, and hopefully there is more of that coming," Aparcedo said. "I'm happy that I at least had fun out there, because that's where it all starts."
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