By Vinnie Lopes of The News-Sentinel
Friday, January 27, 2012 - 2:27 am

Arnie Ball in his 32 years with IPFW men's volleyball has coached in matches around the world, but this weekend will be the first time he and Mastodons will play in the Southeast portion of the United States.

IPFW will travel to North Carolina for a two-match non-conference weekend series against Mount Olive beginning at 7 p.m. Friday -- all in an effort to help increase interest in NCAA men's volleyball.

Mount Olive is a member of the Conference Carolinas, which is the newest conference to add men's volleyball.

"This is a new conference and we are trying to help them out a little bit," Ball said. "It's one of things you have to do to help our sport grow."

Less than 40 schools throughout the nation have a NCAA Division I-II men's volleyball team. Men's volleyball prior to the addition of the Conference Carolinas had three conferences: the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, which is comprised of West Coast teams.

The Conference Carolinas in 2009 became the first multi-sport Division II conference to sponsor men's volleyball and is considered an NCAA emerging conference for men's volleyball.

Ball said schools like IPFW from the top three conferences that are willing to schedule non-conference matches against Conference Carolinas teams makes it more enticing for other schools to add men's volleyball.

"There are so many young men that want to have a chance to play and there are very few places that let them play," Ball said. "Any time I have a chance to help fix that, I do so."

Ball said having matches against developing teams and conferences is something he learned and did during his college playing career at Ball State in the late-1960s. At that time men's volleyball was attempting to attract more programs in the hopes of becoming an NCAA sanctioned sport.

IPFW (3-3, 0-0 MIVA) is one of the five MIVA teams that will play Mount Olive (2-2, 1-0 Conference Carolinas) this season. In addition, three MIVA teams, including IPFW, will play road matches against Conference Carolinas schools.

The amount of schools willing to schedule non-conference matches against developing programs has contributed to the recent expansion of NCAA men's volleyball.

Three schools have added a Division I-II men's volleyball team since the Conference Carolinas sponsored men's volleyball. Lindenwood and Cal Baptist also announced in 2010 that they will begin transitioning from NAIA to NCAA Division I-II in men's volleyball.

The Conference Carolinas added its sixth men's volleyball member this season -- the minimum amount of teams needed for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament -- and will be eligible for the four-team Division I-II men's volleyball NCAA Tournament starting in 2014.

Ball said a Conference Carolinas team soon being able to compete in the NCAA Tournament will be a good thing for the sport. He also said it could lead to possible expansion of the NCAA Tournament.

“I'm excited about the fact that we have a new conference developing,” Ball said.

Mount Olive, the two-time defending Conference Carolinas regular season champions, enters Friday's match against IPFW after sweeping Barton in its conference-opener on Wednesday. The Trojans in their only match this season against a MIVA team lost to Quincy in four games.

IPFW split a two-match homestand last week – including a five-game loss to George Mason, which received votes this week in the top 15 national coaches poll.

This upcoming road trip for IPFW, though, has created some logistical challenges.

The Mastodons left by bus for North Carolina on Thursday. The 13-hour bus trip is the longest road trip by bus for IPFW in recent history.

"It's a long way down there. I'm not sure why I scheduled these matches like it did," Ball jokingly said Thursday.

Despite the long trip, Ball said he is confident his team will be able to sweep this two-match series.

"It's a team that we should beat, but you never know when you are going on the road," he said.

COBRA SPORTS