As middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic thought about tonight's match during practice this week, he could not help but get excited.
Having a love to play in intense situations, the all-conference player said this is the perfect setting for him against the team's biggest rival.
The Ball State University men's volleyball team will play IPFW at 7:30 p.m. in Worthen Arena.
"I love those games, just the high energy and the [other] person wants me to do terrible," Gasparovic said. "I just love those games. They are so intense, everything is. You have a lot of fun on the court."
Entering the match leading the nation with a .546 attack percentage, Gasparovic said he quickly understood as a freshman last season the intensity of the IPFW-Ball State rivalry.
In their most recent meeting last season, Ball State entered tied for first place in the conference but had to rally from a two-game deficit to defeat IPFW in five games at Worthen Arena.
"Each time we play them, it's always an intense match, intensity flaring," Gasparovic said. "We have to come to play every time. It's going to be a tough match."
Ball State and IPFW are the only two NCAA men's volleyball teams in Indiana. Outside attacker Todd Chamberlain said with the schools separated by less than 100 miles, the amount of fans attending their matches always increases the intensity.
In the Cardinals' last three home matches against the Mastodons, more than 1,000 people attended the matches, including 1,367 people in last season's match - the ninth highest attended Ball State match in the last 10 years. Ball State averages a Worthen Arena men's volleyball record 1,496 people in attendance per match this season.
"They bring a good crowd," Chamberlain said. "It gets a little heated in the gym."
Despite the rivalry between the two schools, coach Joel Walton said both teams respect each other. The coach also said he especially has a large amount of respect for IPFW coach Arnie Ball.
In his 29th season as IPFW's head coach, Ball has won five Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championships and advanced to the NCAA Final Four six times. The Hall of Fame coach also played for Ball State in the 1960s and won two conference championships in his two-year college career.
Walton said he has always viewed Ball as a mentor throughout his playing and coaching career. The coach also said Ball continues to donate money to the Cardinals men's volleyball program despite his immediate connection to IPFW.
"It's not like when he comes in here it's 'I hate this guy and we have to win because that guy's a jerk,'" Walton said. "It's nothing like that. I have a great deal of admiration for him."
Ball State enters the weekend on a four-match winning streak and is one of two undefeated MIVA teams in conference play. However, with nine matches remaining in the MIVA, Chamberlain said Ball State must win this home match for it to still be in contention for a conference regular season title.
"You might be able to lose one or two matches in conference on the road but you almost have to win all your home matches to win the conference," he said.
Every team to win a MIVA regular season title since 2005 has not lost a MIVA home match.
In the last three seasons Ball State has lost one home MIVA match. The Cardinals have also won three of the last four matches against the Mastodons, including a home win in 2007 when Ball was ejected for arguing a call.
Walton said he expects that same intensity and passion from both sides of tonight's match.
"Coach Ball is a fiery and competitive coach who likes to win and doesn't settle for less than his team's best effort," he said. "There should be great energy in the gym."
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