The level of expectations has increased for the Ball State University men's volleyball team entering the upcoming season.
Ball State was ranked No. 11 in the preseason top 15 coaches poll released Tuesday night — its highest preseason ranking in seven years.
The Cardinals received 73 votes in the poll, which is voted upon by 16 coaches from the three Division I-II men's volleyball conferences including Ball State coach Joel Walton.
This is the second consecutive season the Cardinals have been ranked to open the season. Ball State was ranked No. 12 in the 2009 preseason coaches poll.
The Cardinals were eliminated in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship match last season and finished with an 18-10 record. Throughout the season Ball State was never ranked higher than No. 10 and was tied for No. 13 in the final poll.
Ball State has six of its seven starters returning from last season — including preseason all-conference selections libero Billy Ebel, middle attacker J.D. Gasparovic and setter Ethan Pheister.
The Cardinals were one of three MIVA teams ranked in the preseason poll. Ohio State University received 101 votes to finish ahead of Ball State at No. 10, and Lewis University received 29 votes to tie UC Santa Barbara for No. 14.
Ohio State has swept Ball State the last two seasons in the conference championship match and was predicted to win the MIVA in the conference preseason poll released earlier this month. In that poll, the Cardinals finished in second place — one vote behind the first-place Buckeyes.
Along with these MIVA teams, four of Ball State's non-conference opponents this season — Pepperdine University, Penn State University, UCLA and Cal State Northridge — were ranked in the top 10.
Ball State will open its season with a conference match against Loyola University on Jan. 15, 2010 in Chicago.
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Preseason coaches poll
1. USC — 237 (13) votes
2. UC Irvine — 218 (3) votes
3. Stanford — 202 votes
4. Pepperdine — 186 votes
5. Penn State — 175 votes
6. BYU — 160 votes
7. Long Beach State — 150 votes
8. UCLA — 136 votes
9. Cal State Northridge — 112 votes
10. Ohio State — 101 votes
11. Ball State — 73 votes
12. Hawai'i — 59 votes
13. UC San Diego — 57 votes
T-14. Lewis — 29 votes
T-14. UC Santa Barbara — 29 votes
Others receiving votes: Loyola 7; St. Francis 7
*Parentheses indicate first-place votes
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