Every time setter Ethan Pheister plays against a team from the West Coast, he always carries added motivation with him.
Growing up in Wisconsin, Pheister would constantly hear how West Coast volleyball teams dominated Midwest teams, winning all but two NCAA Championships since 1970.
For its season opener, the No. 13 Ball State University men's volleyball team will have the chance to prove itself against a nationally ranked West Coast team as it will play No. 4 Stanford University at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Worthen Arena.
"We grew up in the Midwest, all of us, so we know that the West Coast definitely has a bias against us," Pheister said. "We always come out with a little bit extra, at least I do, when we play a West Coast team. Hopefully we can show them that the Midwest does play good volleyball."
In the last two seasons, the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association is a combined 15-30 against the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. Ball State has a conference-best 4-5 record in those matches, including a five-game loss to Stanford last season.
Saturday's match will be the Cardinals' only match against a Division-I West Coast team this season, the fewest amount of these non-conference matches it has played since 2006.
Ball State coach Joel Walton said with this schedule, playing Stanford has become one of the most important non-conference matches.
"It is very significant," he said. "It's a little added pressure because it's the first match of the year. Our team has had the ability to raise to the ability of playing West Coast teams in Muncie."
Ball State has won three consecutive home matches against MPSF teams. The Cardinals defeated then-No. 9 University of the Pacific in five games in 2007 and beat then-No. 7 UCLA twice last season.
Stanford coach John Kosty said the belief that West Coast teams are superior has diminished in recent seasons because of teams like Ball State, No. 14 Ohio State University and defending NCCA Champion No. 1 Penn State University.
"There are really good teams across the country," he said. "Everyone on the top 15 and who is playing their best can get a victory."
Kosty also said it is difficult for West Coast teams to travel to the Midwest and East Coast because of their conference schedule. Walton said the Cardinals have always played better against West Coast teams when the matches were in Muncie.
"The best of the best of the West Coast, when we've been able to get them in our building, it has really worked to our advantage," Walton said. "We get to use that advantage this weekend, play some good volleyball and hopefully put ourselves in a position to win the match."
Outside attacker Todd Chamberlain, a Preseason All-MIVA team selection, said this home match against a West Coast team has increased significance for him because of Ball State's most recent loss to Stanford.
"Since we lost to Stanford last year, we might have this circled on our calendar," he said.
Ball State enters this season after advancing to the MIVA Championship Match last season and was ranked No. 12 in the preseason coaches poll, its highest preseason ranking in more than five years. Stanford (3-1, 1-0 MPSF) has defeated three nationally ranked teams, including a sweep against No. 14 Ohio State University on Friday.
Walton said Ball State must defeat Stanford and then beat Penn State next week if it has any chance to move into the nation's top five this season. The coach also said in previous interviews that because most voters in the coaches poll are from the West Coast, they tend to favor West Coast schools.
In this week's coaches poll, 10 of the top 15 teams were from the West Coast, including four teams with 1-2 records.
"This week against Stanford we control our destiny, instead of waiting for someone to beat quality teams and try to knock off those teams," Walton said.
Stanford will be the highest ranked MPSF team to play at Worthen Arena since the University of Hawai'i played Ball State in 2005. This weekend will also be the first time the Cardinals have played a match in the Midwest since they won the 1997 NCAA Championship in Columbus, Ohio.
Kosty said he is excited for his team to play two nationally ranked Midwest teams. He also said Ball State has remained a consistently hard team to beat throughout its program history.
"We have always liked competing against them," Kosty said. "They have always had solid teams."
Chamberlain said Ball State has looked forward to the chance to play Stanford in Muncie and is excited to open the season against the West Coast team.
"It's nice to start off with some strong opponents, just to see what you are made of for the season," Chamberlain said. "We'll see how it will go. It's kind of a nice comparison to some West Coast teams."
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