Ball State University Athletics
Cardinals Set with Pair of Aces
February 05, 2007 | Men's Volleyball
by Ryne Hillenberg - Athletics Communications & Marketing Student Assistant
It was all in the cards for the Ball State men's volleyball team.
Last season, the men's squad had a great asset in senior setter Dave Carlson and freshman setter Jim Sheil. However, as time would tell, Carlson would graduate and Sheil would not return to play for the Cardinals this season.
Luckily for head coach Joel Walton, he had recruited two setters for the future of the program. It would seem he held a good hand.
“Recruiting two setters was a need for our program,” Walton said. “It's really not a situation anyone wants to be in. You would really like to have a freshman setter coming in that is mentored by a setter that is already in your program, understands your system and understands the players on the team.
“We lost that luxury. Then we found ourselves in the scenario we are in now, where we have two freshmen setters learning the ropes while battling each other for the starting job.”
These freshmen come from quite different regions. Ethan Pheister reigns from Shorewood Wisconsin, while Jeff Schmitz is from Fenton, Missouri. While they both set effectively, they each have strengths in other areas that distinguish them from one another.
Coming to Muncie, Indiana and playing for Ball State wasn't a huge change for the freshmen but they were forced to adapt and adjust to new people and personalities.
“Just adapting to the new type of game was a challenge,” Schmitz said. “High school and club volleyball, even at the highest level is very different than college. The hardest part has been just figuring out the differences and adapting my game to the new obstacles on the court.”
In addition, while both athletes have the opportunity to lead the Cardinals any given weekend, the question that challenges Walton is: in what situations do these individuals excel?
“I think we both bring different things to the game,” Pheister said. “Jeff for instance is a better defender than me, and he sets a better ball to the outsides. My advantages are that I'm taller and have been a better blocker. So whatever we need on any given night, we can respect each other enough to accept responsibilities for the roles that need filled.”
Both Jeff and Ethan see this season as a preview for years to come but don't hold any animosity for each other as starting roles and expectations might be shuffled.
“I think they will both remain setters,” Walton said. “We are just looking to them to continue to advance and push themselves as well as push each other. There are so many different things that can happen in a year or in a season.
“We need a back up for a contingency plan when someone is sick, injured or unable to play for personal reasons. We need both of them to continue to improve, which will make us a better team as a whole.”
The competition has already started in this young 2007 campaign. During preseason competition and the first week of the season, Pheister was the go-to-guy for Walton and his offensive plan.
But as the offense seemingly struggled in the first few matches, the role was handed to Schmitz.
“It was really more of Ethan's team as we went through the fall, he was winning more of the drills and we seemed to play better in our preseason matches with Ethan. Our first weekend of competition was a pretty big disappointment. Ethan was just making some bad choices, so we put Jeff out there but continued to struggle due to poor passing.
“I felt like last weekend, we started to see our team play more along the lines of what our expectations were. Jeff set a good ball, and we hit over .400 both nights.”
Entering this weekend's 2007 Hall of Fame Morgan Classic, hosted by Springfield College, the Cardinals are own a 4-4 overall record. And according to Walton, Schmitz will remain the starting setter and will lead the team for as long as he is successful.
For now, the two freshman team leaders must coincide during their tenure at Ball State and must continue to push themselves and each other day in and day out.
“On the court we do compete yes,” Pheister said, “but off the court we have a good friendship.”
As well as pushing each other and the team to success, the two young athletes hope to push Ball State volleyball to new heights and continue the rich tradition.
“I want to make Ball State known as the school that has a tough environment for opposing teams to come into,” said Schmitz. “I want people to be afraid when they come to play us and know they have a tough match ahead of them. I want opposing teams to want to come play us because we are that team.”
The stakes could not be higher this season. Expectations are high and goals are lofty. With a little bit of luck and a lot of practice, these athletes and friends will be successful during their career here at Ball State.
“As well as the memories on and off the court, I hope we can win a conference title and make it to the Final Four,” Pheister said, “I also want to host the MIVA conference tournament.”
