The 2004 schedule for the Ball State women's volleyball team includes eight teams in last year's NCAA championship, but it begins with a 10 day trip to Sao Pablo, Brazil.
"[Brazil]'s the probably top v-ball country in the world," coach Randy Litchfield said. "Being in the southern hemisphere, it's their winter time, it's the peak of their volleyball season. The level of competition we will face there is astounding."
With new players coming in, the exhibition games at the beginning of the season will allow the Cardinals to change their lineup before the season starts.
"We really wanted to put this trip together here in 2004," Litchfield said. "We have a number of new faces we will be incorporating into the lineup,so exhibition matches in Brazil will give us a low pressure environment to experiment."
The regular season for the Cardinals includes eight teams who were part of the 64-team field of the 2003 NCAA Championship: Nebraska, Valparaiso, Maryland, Southwest Missouri State, Arkansas, Ohio, Florida A&M, and Illinois. Maryland, Arkansas, and Florida A&M all advanced to the second round while Illinois and Nebraska were among the 16 final teams.
Only five schools that appear on Ball State's non-conference schedule did not appear in the 2003 tournament: IUPUI, IPFW, Houston, Wright State, and Albany. By facing the top teams in the country, Litchfield hopes to be ready for a loaded Mid-American Conference schedule.
"(The schedule is about) finding out where your weaknesses are before the season starts," Litchfield said.
Among the key games are an away games at Akron and defending champion Ohio, and two game series against Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. Coach Litchfield hopes the team's history and schedule will help them get into the NCAA Championships.
"The level of status we have achieved puts us on on the table for an at-large bid," he said. "We have to do everything we can to put ourselves on that table for that bid at the end of the year."
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