Men's volleyball head coach Joel Walton said the team's four-game road trip in six days over spring break would show where the Cardinals are at as they approach the end of the season.
No. 13 Ball State went 2-2 on the trip, losing to two top-five teams and beating two teams with sub-.500 records.
The Cardinals (12-6, 6-4 MIVA) opened the trip March 10 with a 3-0 win at Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association opponent Clarke (6-14, 0-11). The next night, Ball State lost 3-0 to conference leader No. 5 Lewis (16-4, 7-0).
On Friday and Saturday, the Cardinals headed to Long Beach, Cal., to play in the Asics/Active Ankle Beach Bash hosted by No. 4 Long Beach State. BSU lost its first match to Long Beach (13-7) 3-1, then beat Southern California (5-18) 3-1 on Saturday.
The team had to play all four games without Walton, who was hospitalized following gallbladder surgery.
After having what he thought was a severe indigestion attack on March 8, Walton went to Ball Memorial Hospital. After doctors ran some tests, they found his gallbladder was filled with what Walton called "sludge."
Walton was held at Ball Memorial until Friday. He had surgery to remove his gallbladder on Wednesday.
Because he was hospitalized, he was unable to travel with the team. He is still unclear if he will be able to go on Friday's trip to Quincy.
Although he wasn't able to travel with the team, he was still disappointed in the Cardinals' showing on the trip.
"I was really, really hoping we'd go at least 3-1 (on the trip)," Walton said. "I was hoping we could steal a win from Lewis or Long Beach, but that didn't happen. We beat Clarke and USC, which were matches I felt we needed to win."
Ball State has eight games before the MIVA tournament begins. In order to fully prepare for the tourney, Walton said the team needs to beat the teams that are ranked above them.
"Right now we're trying to get to the point where we can beat the teams in the top-ten area ahead of us," Walton said. "Right now, we've not been able to come up with those wins."
Walton's doctor told him after the surgery not to drive until Monday, at which point he will return to work and practice with the team.
Walton also said he recently talked to outside attacker Kenny Cook, who was arrested Feb. 15 in connection to a drug raid at his apartment. Cook told Walton that the charges against him after the arrest were dropped.
Walton said he will sit down with Cook and athletics director Bubba Cunningham Monday to discuss Cook's future with the team.
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