Ball State men’s volleyball is hosting its biggest match in 34 years, and it can’t do so at its home venue.
The Cardinals (25-4) earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament after sweeping the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular-season and tournament championships. But their home of Worthen Arena in Muncie is booked for commencement ceremonies.
So the Cardinals have moved their Elite Eight match against the winner of Pepperdine and Fort Valley State (7 p.m. Friday) to the 4,000-seat Riverview Health Arena in Noblesville. First serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday.
“My dad would be thrilled with this team because it’s a bunch of great guys that play hard, they’re well-coached,” Purdue women’s volleyball coach Dave Shondell said.
His father, Dr. Don Shondell, built the Ball State program from scratch, beginning as a club team in 1960 and becoming a varsity sport in 1964. Shondell was a graduate (1952, 1956), professor, coach and author – all while becoming the second-winningest coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history 769-280-6 (.732). He made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances and won 19 MIVA regular-season titles and 12 more league tournaments.
First-year coach Mike Iandolo added his first in those three categories, becoming the fourth coach to sweep conference titles in his first season. He joined Shondell (1964, 66), Marvin Gray (1965) and his predecessor Donan Cruz (2022).
That team four years ago was the last time the Cardinals appeared in the NCAA Tournament. This year’s team, though, enters Saturday’s regional final – the first the program has hosted since 1992 – with a 17-1 home record.
“He’s just done a tremendous job,” Shondell said of Iandolo. “He’s exactly what the Ball State alumni want, the volleyball alumni think he’s just phenomenal – works hard, communicates with the alumni, building the fanbase – doing all the things you have to do in men’s volleyball to be successful, so I’m so happy for him that they won both the league and the MIVA tournament and are in the Elite Eight.”
Patrick Rogers was named MIVA Player of the Year after finishing the regular season sixth nationally in hitting (0.413) and kills per set (3.95). The Cardinals are among the best teams offensively, too, ranking second in hitting percentage (.384) and third in assists per set (12.34) and kills per set (13.52). They also are eighth in blocks per set (2.41).
Though no players are rostered from Indiana, Dave Shondell believes it won’t be long until the state becomes a powerhouse in the sport after the IHSAA sanctioned boys volleyball as an official sport and hosted its first state finals in May 2025.
“I just thought it was the greatest thing in the world,” he said. “It won’t happen overnight because the level of play isn’t great, but Indianapolis schools have some great teams, and I think right now boys volleyball in America is the fastest-growing sport. … I think Indiana is going to be one of the best states in boys volleyball even though they just got started a couple years ago. I think there’s going to be the interest, just like women’s volleyball, there are really quality people out there who can coach volleyball in this state, and I think they’ll be willing to help the men’s side as well.”
And the Shondell name will carry into Saturday’s match with his brother Steve’s voice wringing over the sound system at the arena. Steve Shondell played at Ball State, coached alongside has father and is the PA voice of the Cardinals.
With a win, Ball State would head to the semifinals on May 9 hosted by UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. The title is May 11.
Aaron Ferguson is a sports editor at IndyStar, overseeing coverage of college sports, the Indiana Fever and IndyCar. Follow him on Twitter at @Sports_Aaron.
This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Ball State men’s volleyball to host biggest match in 34 years
Reporting by Aaron Ferguson, Indianapolis Star / Muncie Star Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
