The loss of two bench players normally wouldn't be a problem for Ball State, but coach Steve Shondell didn't expect his team's blocking to struggle so much early on.
Ball State has been without both redshirt freshman middle blocker Kelly Hopkins and redshirt freshman outside hitter Marquita Marshall this season.
But Ball State is slowly getting healthier.
Marshall returned to practice this week after sitting out for four weeks because of a knee injury that she received during the first week of preseason practices, Shondell said.
"It's good to have her back in practice, and she is making progress," Shondell said. "She's really excited to be back in practice. As soon as we can get her back in shape and put her in some game situations in practice to see what she can do."
Hopkins has missed significant time because of a foot fracture and had been in a walking boot so far this season. At Tuesday's practice, she was working out slowly without a boot.
Shondell said the report from the doctor was encouraging, and her timetable for her return is still on schedule.
"They feel like the fracture is healed, so that was great to hear," he said. "We hope to have her back in uniform by the first of October."
With Marshall on the way back soon and Hopkins making progress, Shondell could soon have the team he expected to have for the 2012 season.
Shondell said he is still planning to take it slow before throwing either of them into the fire, especially with Hopkins.
"It's hard for me to determine at this time. How long is it going to take Kelly Hopkins to come back after she's been out for six months?" Shondell said. "I can't get overly excited. I know that for a few points she will be able to come in and block some balls but how long she can stay out on the court, that's still yet to be determined."
Shondell couldn't say when Marshall will be ready to play until she gets closer to the physical conditioning she needs for volleyball. But he does know when both Hopkins and Marshall return, they will be a big boost defensively for a team that has struggled at the net.
"Kelly Hopkins was our best blocker last year even though she is a redshirt. She blocked more balls in practice a year ago than anyone on our roster," Shondell said. "Marquita [Marshall's] best skill has always been her blocking and she's going to be able to really help us with the slide [rotation]."
The Ball State front row has struggled to block balls at the same rate as last season despite Shondell saying in preseason that he thought this year's team would be a better blocking team. Ball State has been out blocked by opponents 2.2 to 1.5 in 2012. In 2011, they averaged 1.9 blocks per game.
Shondell said part of the problem has been a focus early in the season on offense. Blocking was something he had more confidence in, but that has changed after seven games. And with the new addition of senior middle blocker Lisa Scott to the fold, it's been an adjustment to find a consistent force defensively.
"I would've thought our blocking would be a little bit better than last year because our middles are quicker," he said. "We've just really started focusing on our blocking here in the last week."
Shondell will be able to rest easy when his depth and blocking reappears in the front row as the team reaches full strength.
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