Firsthand knowledge of playing the No. 7 Ball State University men's volleyball team is not helping No. 1 Penn State University prepare for its home match Saturday, Nittany Lions coach Mark Pavlik said.
Despite winning two matches against the Cardinals this season, the coach said Ball State (16-6, 9-1 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) is a better team from when they last played in January.
"It's going to be another typical knockdown, drag-out fight between the Nittany Lions and Ball State," Pavlik said.
Earlier this season Penn State swept Ball State at the Outrigger Invitational on Jan. 5 and beat the Cardinals in four games at Worthen Arena on Jan. 18.
Since that last match against the Nittany Lions (22-1, 11-1, Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association), the Cardinals have won 15 of 16 matches and have an 11-match winning streak.
The biggest difference in Ball State is the offense running more efficiently with more players being set for kills, coach Joel Walton said.
Ball State is averaging a .257 attack percentage, fourth in the MIVA, and is one of two teams in the conference to have three players with more than 200 kills this season. In their two matches against Penn State, the Cardinals averaged a .236 attack percentage.
Walton said a big reason the offense is more successful is outside attackers Patrick Durbin and Todd Chamberlain switched positions after the last Penn State match. This gave Durbin more opportunities for kills from the left and right side of the court, Walton said.
Durbin, who didn't play against Penn State in Hawaii and had a team-high 20 kills in the second match, is second in the MIVA, averaging 4.18 kills per game. He also set a career high with 29 kills in a five-game match against IPFW on Saturday.
Walton said Penn State not seeing Ball State in this new formation could help the Cardinals.
"It's a bit of an advantage, and we are going to need every advantage, however big or small, we can find because we are playing a great team on their home court," Walton said.
Penn State enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak and has clinched the EIVA regular season championship. Also, outside attacker Matt Anderson leads the nation, averaging a 5.7 kills per game.
In both matches against Ball State, Anderson had a match high in kills, including 25 kills the last time the teams played.
Walton said to stop Anderson from getting kills, the Cardinals will adjust their game plan by serving more balls to Anderson and keeping him out of his offensive rhythm.
"You have to be aware where he is on the court," Walton said.
Saturday will be the first time Ball State will play the No. 1-ranked team since 2003, when it was swept by the University of Hawai'i. The last time Ball State beat a No. 1-ranked team was 1995 against UCLA.
Middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic said the entire team is excited about the opportunity to prove they can beat any team in the nation.
"It's going to be intense and pretty much a war," he said. "I know we're ranked, but people probably still don't see that as being that much. To win this game would prove a lot to people."
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