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Riding the momentum of a five-match winning streak, the Ball State women's volleyball team will host a pair of Mid-American Conference matches this weekend in Worthen Arena.
On Friday evening, the Cardinals will welcome Kent State to Muncie. The Golden Flashes bring a 10-7 overall record and a 3-2 MAC record into the match after having their four-match win streak snapped by MAC East leading Akron this week.
It will be the first time the two teams have faced off since Kent State won the only meeting last year. According to head coach Randy Litchfield, last year's loss in Kent, Ohio, hurt the Cardinals.
"Kent was not a tournament team last year, and beat us," Litchfield said. "That loss probably kept us from a championship."
Because of a good deal of change for both teams, Litchfield does not feel that revenge will play a role in motivating his team on Friday.
"Things are so different this year," Litchfield said. "It is a MAC match against another upper-division team. You shouldn't need revenge to get up for these kind of matches."
The Buffalo Bulls will come into Worthen Arena Saturday night. At 8-11 overall and 0-5 in the MAC, the Bulls come to Muncie seeking their first conference victory of the season.
Buffalo is 0-5 against Ball State in the past. That lack of luck against the Cards is something Litchfield said he feels his team recognizes, but does not cause them to overlook the Bulls.
"They are aware Buffalo has not been a contender in the past," Litchfield said. "When you are trying to be a championship caliber team, you respect every opponent. I think that match will be a test for us."
The Bulls are under the leadership of first-year coach Sally Kus. According to Litchfield that change in personal has made Buffalo a better team.
"She is a real legend around that region. On tape they are a better team than they were last year. I think that Buffalo will be a better-coached team than before," Litchfield said.
After a pair of "ugly" wins last weekend, Litchfield said Ball State is trying to clean up its play to perform better at home.
"To be a championship team, you have to win at home," Litchfield said. "Our champions of late have lost two or three matches on the road, but have run the table at home. In some respects, it is a little more pressure to win at home because they are must-win matches."
Earlier this week, Ball State was ranked No. 10 in the Mideast Region by the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Committee. The biweekly rankings include the top 10 teams in each of the eight regions (Central, East, Mideast, Midwest, Northeast, Pacific and Southwest).
"In my opinion, it is the toughest region in volleyball," Litchfield said. "I'm really proud of anytime we get ranked in that poll."
Ball State is ranked behind fellow MAC schools Akron and Eastern Michigan, who are ranked No. 8 and No. 9 respectively.6622+â-Ç+âc^-¦Iwvolleyballpreview 10.11DNEditorial662SORT +â-ä2AUDT
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