*Reporter's note: This story was originally written to accompany the documentary "Match Point: The Rise of Men's Volleyball." Hannah Gunnell wrote several stories to accompany the documentary's online promotion campaign during Fall 2019.
For four-time Olympian Lloy Ball, volleyball is a family affair. The 2008 gold medalist attributed his volleyball beginnings to his dad, Arnie Ball, a former volleyball player and coach. Arnie was introduced to volleyball during his sophomore year at Ball State University. He played baseball his freshman year, but, “The baseball was too little. I couldn’t hit it.”
When Don Shondell, 1996 International Volleyball Hall of Fame inductee and the second-winningest coach in NCAA men’s volleyball history, asked young Arnie to try volleyball, he agreed, completely unaware that the sport would shape the rest of his career. “I was in coach Shondell’s physical education class, and he asked me if I would be interested in playing,” Arnie said. “Of course, I did. I was looking for something to do to keep me out of the bars at Ball State.” After graduating from college, Arnie became a teacher and basketball coach at Maven High School. Eight years later, he took a position at Paul Harding High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he coached baseball and started a boys’ volleyball program.
Read the rest of this story at http://matchpointmvb.com/index.php/2020/02/19/the-ball-family/
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