It just got a whole lot more difficult for the No. 15 Ball State University men's volleyball team to defeat the defending NCAA champions tonight.
Ball State will be without its all-conference middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic as it plays No. 7 Penn State University at 7:30 p.m. at Worthen Arena.
Coach Joel Walton said Wednesday that Gasparovic will miss the match because of a "sore throat variety sickness."
"We are not sure how long he is going to be out," the coach said. "We are hoping it is only going to be a week, but at this point in time we didn't have enough information to know."
Having started every match this season, Gasparovic is leading the conference with a .472 attack percentage and 120 blocks. The sophomore also has a team-high 1.45 blocks per game average.
In Ball State's (15-8, 6-4 Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) four-game loss to Penn State in January, Gasparovic had eight kills and a team-high .583 attack percentage.
Walton said Gasparovic's absence will affect the team's blocking and offensive attacks. The coach also said it will be a similar situation to last weekend when Ball State defeated IPFW without all-conference setter Ethan Pheister, who was serving a one-match suspension for violating team rules.
"It puts pressure on the player that comes into that spot," Walton said. "It also means the other players on the court have to step and raise their level of play so we can be competitive."
Either middle attacker Matt McCarthy or Ben Irwin will replace Gasparovic as the starting middle attacker against Penn State, Walton said.
McCarthy, a preseason all-conference selection, has missed all but three matches this season because of a shoulder injury and a stress fracture in his back. Entering his senior season, McCarthy was a two-time All-MIVA First Team selection and had a .414 career attack percentage - the third highest percentage in the program's 45-year history.
Throughout this week in practice, McCarthy participated in team drills but played in a specialized back brace because of his injury.
Irwin has played in nine matches in his senior season - mostly against Division III teams - and is averaging 1.54 kills per game and a .621 attack percentage. In his three-year career, Irwin has never started a match against a nationally ranked team.
Walton said he would use this week's practice to determine whether McCarthy or Irwin should start.
"We will see through the course of the week who is ready to go onto the court and do good things," Walton said.
Whoever starts at middle attacker will not have an easy task, Walton said.
Returning from its championship last season, Penn State (23-3, 12-0 Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) has two All-American middle attackers: Max Holtz and Max Lipsitz. Both players are in the nation's top three for attack percentage with Holtz having an NCAA best .551 attack percentage.
To help its middle attackers, Walton said Ball State needs to make good serves that would prevent Penn State from having quick sets to those two players.
"They are really good," Walton said. "Two All-American middles - you don't want them in system and available as a part of the offense. You want to neutralize them with good serving."
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