Upcoming MAC schedule
Sept. 24 at Toledo - 7 p.m.
Sept. 26 at Akron - 5 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Northern Illinois - 7 p.m.
Oct. 3 vs. Western Michigan - 7 p.m.
After a 0-3 weekend at the Purdue Boiler Box Challenge, the Cardinals finished their non-conference schedule at 6-8. But for Shondell, the team is on the right track to start league play.
"We played the best offense we have played all season," Shondell said. "Everyone gave their all; we just couldn't get the finish."
Ball State dropped losses to Notre Dame and Purdue to begin the tournament. The final match was a five-set defeat to South Dakota.
Although the offense looked better, Shondell said there are still things to work on. The Cardinals had high kill numbers, but also accumulated several attack errors. They finished the weekend with 71 errors compared to their opponents' 49.
Against Notre Dame, Ball State finished with 23 attack errors.
"We just came out with a lot of problems against Notre Dame that we just couldn't overcome toward the end," Shondell said.
Despite some of the team's early season losses, a lot of that can be chalked up to the high level of competition the Cardinals have seen.
"We played some of the biggest teams in the nation, like Purdue, and played them tough but just couldn't get the finish over them we wanted," Shondell said. "When you play schools like that, the win isn't the important thing; it's what you learn out there. And we have learned a lot about ourselves."
Shondell feels Ball State has the ability to beat any team in the MAC, he said, and they have the talent and ability to put it all together.
Like on the offensive side, Ball State will look to fine-tune the precision of its defense as it begins conference play on Sept. 24.
"We need to work on digs and hitting them with accuracy," Shondell said. "We need to learn to hit and place them somewhere instead of just trying to get a hand or arm on it."
Ball State is also missing players due to injury. It awaits the return of Alex Fuelling, a senior leader who plays a big role on both sides of the net.
Ball State currently has just the sixth-best record in the MAC, but the team feels its record doesn't portray how good it can be.
"We still control our destiny," Shondell said. "And we still feel we can achieve what we want this season."
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