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Rebuilding isn't a word Jamion Hartley is willing to apply to this season for the Ball State men's volleyball team.
The 14 players around him are just as stubborn.
"We don't want that to be the definition of this year," Hartley said.
As Ball State stands only hours away from its showdown with Ohio State in the semifinals of the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament, it faces the chance to extinguish the term from ever again being associated with its 2012 season.
That's a challenge they've had to deal with since the year began.
With the departure of five productive seniors from the 2011 team, the coaching staff admitted to this year's group early on that it would probably take a year before the team was back in contention.
Hartley was one of the players who never bought into it. Now that Ball State has the opportunity to beat the four-time defending MIVA Tournament Champions, he doesn't want it to go to waste.
"That's not how we're taking it right now; we're taking it as 'we can definitely do it this year,'" he said. "We have the talent. The MIVA is wide open. Anyone can beat anyone. We just feel like we can do it too."
In many ways, it already has been a rebuilding year for Ball State. The team's final overall record (13-11) was its worst since 2005, and its final MIVA record (5-7) was its worst since 1998.
But that only goes far enough to determine Ball State's weekly rankings and tournament seedings. Just like UC Santa Barbara proved in 2011, going from a seventh seed in the Moutain Pacific Sports Federation to the runner-up in the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship, a surprising run can come from any team at this time of the year.
For a team like Ball State that lacks a true superstar player, such as Ohio State's Shawn Sangrey, it will likely take a complete team effort for the Cardinals to advance to the MIVA Tournament Championship match.
In the regular season, that type of effort may be hard to generate. But Walton said the sheer feeling of playing in the postseason changes everything.
"Tournament time is different. Extraordinary things happen. Extraordinary people sometimes ... ," Walton said, pausing. " ... have moments, just shining moments. I can't even tell you who on our team could be that guy this week."
For those on the court, the motivation is there, whether its fueled by thoughts revenge, redemption or for proving the doubters wrong.
"We've had good recruits that we've lost that we were willing to commit here [that] committed elsewere because they probably don't feel like we're good enough," Hartley said. "And I think this group of guys right now is going to change that."
Sophomore middle attacker Matt Leske is playing in his third season with the team, and its given him enough time to know no one would appreciate the win more than his head coach.
"It would be big for us, especially since no one expected anything out of us this year," sophomore middle attacker Matt Leske said. "I think it would mean a lot to Joel too. To see us lose to Ohio State every year in the tournament the past four years, I think it would mean a lot to all of us really. Because we hate Ohio State, and it meant a lot to beat them in the regular season, and to do it the tournament, to end their season possibly, it would be huge."
Whatever the result happens to be at the end of the match, it likely won't be due to a lack of faith in themselves. Right now as the match draws near, the Ball State players and coaches are full of it, especially Hartley.
"We really think that this is our year," he said.
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