Think two months of mounting papers, quizzes and tests deserves a weeklong break?
Try adding nagging injuries, grueling practices and a daily early wakeup time into the equation.
Reach that point, and you'll have taken on the role of a Ball State men's volleyball player.
That's why a matchless week couldn't have come at a better time for Ball State.
Players have been able to rest and recuperate since their last match against Park on Feb. 25, knowing they wouldn't play for another 11 days until facing No. 12 Cal State Northridge (6-10) today at 7 p.m. (PST).
As with any extended break in sports, such as when NFL teams win ‘too quickly' before the playoffs, the challenges of having time off are clear to Ball State.
"If we don't have any competition, sometimes a guy will get too relaxed," freshman outside attacker David Ryan Vander Meer said. "Then when we play, it's like ‘Oh, we have to focus now.' I'm just hoping we stay focused until we get out there and play them."
Fortunately enough for the players and coaches, there are benefits to unwinding as well.
Only one home match remains in the rest of Ball State's regular season, meaning rest will be even more important for the team's starting group of players as travel time increases.
That could lead to an expanded rotation over the course of the next few months as coach Joel Walton reaches deeper into his bench, giving seldom used players more experience on the court.
"As you start to travel, there are nights where guys may be fatigued, or guys may not be comfortable in a certain environment you're playing in," Walton said. "You're going to be looking for whatever tool you can find on a given night that can make your team successful."
Walton said the week without competition was mostly used to keep working on the team's up-tempo offense and creating better timing across the lineup.
The coaching staff put emphasis on giving the left-side attackers an expanded hitting zone, making it harder for opponents to anticipate Ball State's attacking.
Left-side attacker Larry Wrather has been on a hot streak for the past five matches, holding a .319 attack percentage in that time. Fellow left-side attacker Shane Witmer has gone in the opposite direction, hitting negatively in four of the past five matches.
"You've got to be able to hit that big triangle," Walton said. "Otherwise, the same way that we're scouting teams and telling our guys ‘Listen, this is what this guy likes to do,' they're doing the exact same thing for us."
Despite owning a losing record, Cal State Northridge will be Ball State's best opponent and first ranked opponent since playing Lewis on Feb. 5.
A 3-0 sweep over Loyola on Jan. 7 is Cal State Northridge's only other match against a Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association team this season. Ball State lost 3-1 to Loyola on Feb. 2.
If Ball State isn't able to pull the upset on Wednesday, a pair of contests against Grand Canyon on Friday and Saturday, both at 6 p.m. (MST), should prove easier.
The Cardinals hold a perfect 6-0 record over the Antelopes in the past three seasons, though there hasn't been a sweep in the series since Grand Canyon joined the MIVA in 2010.
Two 3-0 sweeps over Quincy in late February indicate Grand Canyon has only taken steps forward in becoming more competitive in the conference.
Barring a deep trip into the NCAA Tournament, the three-match week will be Ball State's only trip westward this season.
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