David Polaski is a junior journalism and telecommunications major and writes ‘Dave’s Digs’ for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper. Write to David at dmpolaski@bsu.edu
Forget about wins against Barton and Mount Olive. They mean nothing.
The Ball State men’s volleyball team is beginning a stretch of play against clearly inferior competition that the team’s starters could beat in their sleep.
Next to nothing will be gained from these matches. Yes, young players get a chance to show head coach Joel Walton what they can do in a game instead of practice. But for the starters, it’s just a half-assed exercise in trying to prevent injury and get out of the game after the first set.
What are these matches supposed to accomplish? Shane Witmer puts away a few kills, Graham McIlvaine gets a few assists and David Ryan Vander Meer tallies a couple digs. Then, they spend the next hour standing on the sideline.
Fans are paying to see that? It’s like watching an NFL preseason game. It’s like watching a practice.
When Ball State faced No. 1 Loyola, Worthen Arena brought 2,693 fans. Against Barton, 584 fans came out. Against Mount Olive, it was 567 — the lowest of the season. Even the fans don’t want to watch this.
For a top-15 team, Ball State looked physically slow against Barton and Mount Olive, a stark contrast to how it looked earlier this season against quality opponents.
Ball State players have said it’s difficult to get excited about these matches, and nobody can blame them.
As a witness to the road win against IPFW, when players left every ounce of energy on the court, watching them toy with Barton was painfully boring.
Ball State’s backups trailed Barton 21-20 in the third set Friday, and so Walton called timeout. At the time, I found myself praying that Walton would insert the starters and finish Barton so there would be no fourth set, although it was obvious the backups would remain in.
As I looked around, I could tell Worthen Arena’s fans were feeling the same. There’s no doubt the Ball State starters just wanted the match to end so they could get to their evening plans.
With a match against conference rival IPFW right around the corner, Ball State can’t be expected to focus its intensity on upcoming opponent Division-II King, a university with an enrollment less than many high schools.
These matches have no bearing on the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association standings, and thus the players treat them accordingly.
Men’s volleyball is still growing in the country, and Ball State has to take what it can get when it comes to scheduling teams. So the lack of top notch competition every weekend isn’t its fault.
But when Ball State plays these matches, there’s no real winner.
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