The key to the men's volleyball team repeating as conference champions lies in raising all levels of play, head coach Joel Walton said.
"It's going to come down to making plays in matches that aren't ordinarily made," Walton said.
The Cardinals defend their Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Tournament title this weekend at Lewis in Romeoville, Ill. In Friday's semifinal match, they face the team they beat in last year's championship game, second-seeded Loyola-Chicago.
The Ramblers have lost the past two MIVA championship games, leading Walton to believe they will be especially focused on winning this year.
"Loyola desires a championship a great deal," Walton said. "They have the experience and the motivation to win one. We have to match that on the court."
Walton said the keys to Loyola's offense are its middle attackers and outside attacker Justin Schnor. He said serving effectively will take those players out of the match.
"We want to take away their middles with the serve," Walton said. "We need to serve well to take them out of their offense and pass at a level that doesn't allow them to take us out of our offense."
Ball State split a pair of matches with Loyola this season, with both teams winning in straight sets at home. The Cardinals hit .299 in the two matches, while the Ramblers hit for .371.
In last year's championship game, the Cardinals beat Loyola in what Walton called a blowout that was a complete surprise. They won 30-17, 30-27, 30-19 to advance to the NCAA Final Four.
In the second semifinal match, No. 1 seed Lewis plays No. 5 IPFW. The winners of the semifinals play at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
While the Cardinals enter the semifinals as the third seed, Walton said they have the edge in one category over the other three teams.
"One advantage we have is depth," Walton said. "We have players coming off the bench that are ready to help out the second night. Loyola and Lewis play the same group of seven."
Walton said his team has the experience and confidence it takes to win the tournament. He said he wants to win to see how the Cardinals play against the other teams they will face in the Final Four.
"It was a great feeling to win last year," Walton said. "I want to get back to that feeling again. That's what motivates me."
Earlier this week, senior Matt Denmark and junior Keith Schunzel were named to First-Team MIVA and senior Josh Zuidema to second-team.
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