For the first team this season, the Ball State University men's volleyball team will play a match as an unranked team.
The Cardinals dropped out of the top 15 in the newest coaches poll released Monday following four-game losses to No. 1 Pennsylvania State University and then-unranked St. Francis University during the weekend.
After being ranked No. 13 for two consecutive weeks, coach Joel Walton said the new poll results did not surprise him. He also said being removed from the rankings probably will not give the Cardinals (0-3, 0-0 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) any extra motivation for their upcoming match against No. 11 Lewis University (3-1, 0-0 MIVA).
"Hopefully we don't need that. I think our players should be motivated based on the way we've played," Walton said. "We have yet to get out and play a complete match."
Ball State received 10 votes - 37 fewer votes than in last week's poll - and is listed in a tie at No. 16 with George Mason University.
Three MIVA teams were ranked in Monday's coaches poll. Lewis moved ahead one spot to No. 11 and Ohio State University jumped up one spot to No. 13 after defeating St. Francis in five-games Sunday. Also, Loyola University received its first ranking this season as it's tied with St. Francis at No. 14.
Walton said St. Francis earned its spot in the poll after defeating Ball State. The coach also said with three MIVA teams being ranked in the coaches poll, Ball State has to prove it can compete with every team in its conference.
"We got our work cut out for us," he said. "Right now people have three teams that are playing better than us. We got a chance against Lewis at home, and we have to show we are capable and embrace the challenge."
Coaches poll1. Penn State 2. Cal State Northridge3. Pepperdine T-4. USC T-4. UC Irvine6. Stanford7. Long Beach State8. UCLA 9. BYU 10. UC Santa Barbara 11. Lewis 12. Hawai'i13. Ohio State T-14. LoyolaT-14. St. Francis
Others receiving votes: Ball State, George Mason, UC San Diego
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