After this past weekend's success, Ball State University women's volleyball head coach Randy Litchfield is ready to see what this week will bring. Last weekend the team started out great against Miami, and then fell short to Bowling Green.
Litchfield has noticed that the team needs to improve on its back-to-back game play. "We poured so much into Miami match," Litchfield said. "We left so much on the court and forgot to pick it back up before Bowling Green."-á
This week the team gets a chance to show what it is made of with three days of game play in a five-day period.
"The team needs to mature in order to play through back-to-back matches," Litchfield said.
Tonight the team will face off against Butler, an instate rival. The Cardinals have already been victorious against IUPUI and IPFW.
To win against Butler, the team's setting game needs to be consistent throughout the match. Litchfield noticed that the setting game was excellent on Friday, and then showed a need for improvement on Saturday against Bowling Green.-á
"Setting game was fantastic Friday, and then not consistent Saturday," Litchfield said.
Another bright spot on the weekend was that the team's passing game greatly improved.-á"Gabby Pedrosa and Stephanie Bacan were the reason why our passing game improved," Litchfield said.-á
In the past when BSU has played Butler they have been triumphant.-á
The coaching staff has studied the Bulldogs, and are hoping to add yet another victory to their impressive resume versus Butler.-á
Although the team is not looking too much into past success. Litchfield knows that the team still has things to work on, and he plans to use the game as preparation for the upcoming conference games.
"Past success is irrelevant [in tonight's game]," Litchfield said.
The team has a new outlook for tonight's game after a players-only meeting Friday. After the meeting the team has shown more togetherness, and they are starting to show signs of believing in each other's play.
"I spent the last four weeks pushing every button and [I finally] put it into their hands," Litchfield said.
Litchfield is going to play the team all-out tonight, even though they have a conference game against Toledo on Thursday. The team is going to use Butler as a way of helping the team improve and learn how to better play as one.-á-á -á
"We're a team that's emphatically trying to find itself," Litchfield said.
He added that once the team figures out what it needs to do to play as one, he believes that the team can be better than any team he has had before.-áHe knows that they have room for improvement before they reach their full potential.-á
The team will return home for a conference game against Toledo on Thursday at 7 p.m. So far in the season Ball State is 1-1 in conference matches.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
