The loss of its starting setter has set the men's volleyball team in limbo. Ball State hopes to overcome this handicap when it plays Clarke and Loyola on the road this weekend.
The Cardinals (5-6, 0-2 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) will play without Dave Carlson, who hurt his back right before a match against Brigham Young, for the Clarke (2-6, 0-4 MIVA) matchup.
Head coach Joel Walton said Carlson has recovered from the BYU match two weeks ago and was able to practice Thursday. However, he wants to rest him for the Loyola (10-1, 4-0 MIVA) match Saturday. Loyola has beaten conference foes Lewis, IPFW and Quincy, all of which Walton called impressive wins.
"Those matches alone tell me Loyola is doing a bunch of good things," Walton said.
Carlson remains questionable for the Loyola game, though. Because his position runs the offense, his loss has made it hard to see where the offense stands, Walton said.
"It just magnifies everything by about 300 percent," he said.
While Evan Berg has continued to improve in practice as setter, Walton said the he could still see a difference in offense with Carlson practicing Thursday.
Middle attacker Zoran Grabovac will play this weekend but will likely not start, Walton said. Grabovac has battled aggravated tendinitis in his right knee. Though Grabovac is recovering, Walton said he would like to see the junior step up his play.
"I think Zoran Grabovac can be just a physical presence on the court, and he's not there yet," he said.
Walton said the team also has to overcome the two losses at George Mason and Rutgers last weekend.
"We're starting to see out of our guys a certain amount of frustration, and at times that frustration takes them over and prevents them from playing the best volleyball they can possibly play," he said. "We need to get them back on track and playing with positive emotion."
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