The luxury of playing a non-conference match or a cupcake at home is not an option for No. 13 Ball State University.
The Cardinals will start their season with three road matches in a span of less than 48 hours. Ball State will be thrown into the heart of its quest for a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association crown in Chicago against Loyola University on Friday.
"It's not a weekend where we can afford to relax in any of our three matches," coach Joel Walton said. "We want to see if we can play three consistently strong matches over the span of a weekend."
The physical drain of three matches on consecutive days will test the Cardinals' conditioning.
"From a physical standpoint everyone is going to be a little tired and sore since it's the beginning of the season," senior outside attacker Matt Sprague said. "We have to take care of our bodies."
The depth of the Cardinals will be tested as Walton will rotate players in and out to keep them fresh.
"It's important that our entire roster is ready to go this weekend," he said. "We are not going to rely on our starting six players and our libero."
The opportunity to play three matches over the weekend instead of the usual two resulted from classes not being in session Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Another obstacle for Ball State to overcome is Loyola's small gym. The Cardinals have not defeated the Ramblers on the road since 1999.
"Their gym is different than any place we play," Walton said. "Their bleachers are not far from the court. There is significant opportunity for their students to be in arms reach of our players. Focus and concentration are critical at Loyola, so it takes a mature team to handle it."
To compensate for the smaller gym, the Cardinals spent one day of practice this week in Irving Gym 2, much smaller than Worthen Arena.
While the Ramblers are fellow members of the MIVA, the other two games are out of conference. Saturday, Ball State will travel to Carthage College followed by a match at the Milwaukee School of Engineering on Sunday.
As a ranked team, Ball State will be expected to win all three matches, but the Cardinals aren't taking their opponents lightly.
"They are all away matches so anything can happen," Sprague said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
