It was a game that could have very easily been overlooked. The Ball State women's volleyball team has already clinched the Mid-American Conference regular season title and secured home court throughout the 2002 MAC Championship Tournament. Toledo came in with an 11-18 (3-14 MAC) record.
It was a game that, on the surface, didn't matter, but the Cardinals proved it mattered to them by defeating the Rockets 3-0 (30-20, 30-16, 30-25).
"These kind of matches are always scary to play when you are a coach and can't wear an uniform because you really want to play well but often times you don't," head coach Randy Litchfield said. "This team just keeps proving how special it is."
The win extends Ball State's current winning streak to nine matches as it prepares to head into postseason play.
"I think that this game for us is about momentum going into Tuesday," senior Lauren Gilbert said. "We wanted to make a statement and win in three just so we have that reassurance that we are playing really well right now."
Every victory is increasingly important at this time of year as NCAA officials try to determine which schools will be deserving of at-large bids into the NCAA tournament.
"Down in Indy right now, there are a bunch of people sitting around looking at all the scores that come in after every game and that's huge for us, for the bid and for getting into the NCAA Finals," freshman outside attacker Sarah Obras said.
It was the senior Cardinals that were huge for Ball State Saturday night as they played in their final regular season match. The senior class of Nikki Allen, Katie Butts, Jenna Foster and Gilbert hit a combined .365 (36 kills -- 9 errors -- 74 attempts) and registered 17 digs and 10 total blocks.
"This senior class has proven to be a remarkable group," Litchfield said. "I'll be the first to tell you that, when we started the season, there was nothing overly impressive about any of the numbers this class brought to this team, but when you really analyze it you can see how valuable they are to us."
With the regular season over, decisions on this year's All-MAC team will soon be made. In the past, Litchfield has felt comfortable predicting which Cardinals would be named to the squad. This year, he is a little unsure due to the fact that so many Ball State players are deserving and will possibly draw votes away from each other. Individual accolades are not high on anyone's list right now though.
"I'm not sure that anybody cares," Litchfield said. "If we get recognized, that's great; if not, we hope to be playing in the NCAA tournament. This has been a team since the beginning and it will be at the end even if awards don't come."
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