Seventy-two potentially future Ball State University women's volleyball players occupied Worthen Arena this week in the team's annual camp.
The annual summer camp hosting fifth through 12th grade athletes allowed for a lot of fun, not only for the athletes, but also for the Ball State coaching staff, coach Steve Shondell said.
"This has been a real good experience for us all. Marci [Peniata] and Kelli [Miller] did a fantastic job at preparing us for the camp," Shondell said. "All the kids have had real positive attitudes and, I think, feel they have improved their game."
This was the first camp Shondell has held since becoming the team's head coach April.
Shondell, assistant coach Peniata, and assistant coach Miller were all pleased with the turnout despite the uncertainty regarding the camp after former Ball State coach Dave Boos resigned in March.
"The great thing about a group this size is that we've been able to give a lot of individual, one-on-one attention to them," Shondell said.
Current and former Ball State volleyball players were also on hand to assist the coaching staff provide instruction for the campers. Among the Ball State players were all-conference setter Brittany McGinnis, defensive specialist Kaylee Schembra, libero Alyssa Rio, and former player Elaina Kakatolis.
"Everything has gone very smoothly this week," Miller said. "[Peniata] over prepared every detail and that has made everything go so well. We haven't had any snags and more importantly, all the girls seem to be having a good time."
The camp began on Tuesday and ends today.
"We really enjoy working a camp like this because you get to play more games with the girls and have fun more than when you work with the older girls," Miller said. "This has been a completely different experience for me... I don't have to worry about 300 girls like I would at Purdue."
The Ball State coaching staff is not done with camps for the summer. There will be another one held next week for college recruits.
"I'm looking forward to seeing and working with the recruits next week," Shondell said. "While the younger crowd makes me miss the high school game and are a ton of fun to be around, I can't wait to get into working with the older players."
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