MUNCIE, Ind. — On Thursday, Ball State will participate in the NCAA men's volleyball tournament for the 16th time in program history.
The Cardinals (23-3), who were selected as the No. 2 seed after winning the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association regular season and tournament titles, haven't made the national tournament since 2002.
Ball State has one of the most storied histories in NCAA men's volleyball. Dr. Don Shondell, who died in November, created the school's first men's volleyball team in 1960. In 1964, the same year volleyball debuted at the Olympic Games, men's volleyball became an official varsity sport after Shondell fought pushback from the administration for years.