Every day coach Joel Walton makes sure he has a championship ring on his ring finger.
Having one four-year college letterman ring and Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship rings from 1995, 1997 and 2002 as a coach, he said wearing one of those rings has become staple of his wardrobe.
However, after six years the coach is looking to add a new ring and conference championship to his collection this weekend.
The No. 10 Ball State University men's volleyball team will play No. 14 Lewis University in the MIVA Tournament semifinals at 5 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.
"We can't overlook Lewis," Walton said. "They have shown throughout the course of the season they are quality opponent."
The Cardinals are on an eight-match winning streak against the Flyers, including a sweep to eliminate Lewis in last year's conference tournament quarterfinals.
Walton said Wednesday that he had forgotten about last season's match. However, Lewis coach Dan Friend said he discussed that match with his team throughout the week.
"I would be lying if I didn't say it's a great motivation device for me to use," Friend said. "It's added some fire for my team."
This season Ball State rallied from a two-game deficit to defeat Lewis in five-games Jan. 25 and won a road match against the Flyers in four-games April 12.
Both coaches said neither team can take much from their most recent match, because several starters, such as middle attacker Matt McCarthy and setter Ethan Pheister, did not start.
Libero Ian Peckler said he picked up a few of Lewis' block and serve tendencies throughout the match.
"It's just little things," he said. "They had trouble passing some of our tough jump servers."
Ball State has 104 serving aces, second worst in the MIVA, but has nine aces in the two matches against Lewis. In addition, more than one-fourth of the Flyers severing reception errors this season were against the Cardinals.
Walton said Ball State will primarily serve to outside attackers Jared Dayton and Drew Pickering, who lead the Flyers in kills and serving reception errors.
"We going to serve a lot of balls at Dayton and Picker to try to slow down their front-row offense," Walton said. "Also, our right side blockers have to take a way the shots that their players like to hit."
For the third consecutive match Patrick Durbin will be the right outside attacker, Walton said.
Durbin, who leads the MIVA averaging 4.36 kills per game, started 24 matches this season as the left outside attacker before switching positions in Ball State's final match against Lewis. The last two matches, Durbin finished with a match high in kills, including 19 kills against Lewis.
"Pat is a good player anywhere on the court," Friend said. "Durbin is going to get his kills and you just have to keep him in check."
Along with this lineup change, outside attacker Matt Sprague will start for the sixth time this season, Walton said. In the Cardinals' quarterfinal match win against Quincy University, Sprague started as the left outside attacker and had two kills in four attempts.
"I just have a feeling," Walton said.
Sprague said he will be team's fifth offensive option and is primarily in for passing. He also said it's nice to know Walton has enough confidence in him to start a big match.
"It's going to be intense," Sprague said.
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