Arnie Ball - Head Coach - Men's Volleyball Coaches

Arnie Ball

Title:
Head Coach
Email:
balla@ipfw.edu
Phone:
481-6648

Arnie Ball is in his 34th season as head coach of the IPFW men's volleyball team.

One of the longest tenured and most well-respected coaches in collegiate volleyball, Ball has amassed over 500 career wins and has filled a trophy case with honors from around the world. With a resume that includes six trips to the NCAA Final Four, six regular-season MIVA Championships and rosters dotted with All-Conference, All-American and U.S. Olympic team selections, Ball’s time in Fort Wayne has pushed IPFW to the forefront of collegiate men’s volleyball.

IPFW’s finest national finish under Ball came in 2007, as the ‘Dons took home a National Runner-Up trophy, falling 3-1 to UC-Irvine in Columbus, Ohio. For the storied season, Ball was named both the AVCA Division I-II National Coach of the Year and Asics/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.

In addition to the Runner-Up season, Ball has led teams to fourth place finishes in 1992 and 1994 and third place finishes in 1991, 1996 and 2006. Fifteen players have been named AVCA All-American, six have been honored as the MIVA Player of the Year and two have gone on to play in the Olympics.

The Mastodons men’s sideline isn’t the only one that Ball has roamed during his thirty year tenure. Following a successful player career at Ball State, Coach Ball began his coaching career at Fort Wayne’s Harding High School, where he led the Hawks to three Indiana Volleyball Coaches Association Championships. In 1981, Ball made the move to IPFW, taking the helm of both the men’s and women’s programs.

At the helm of the women’s team, IPFW captured four Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) championships and earned bids in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1987 and 1988. He wrapped his eight-year women’s team tenure with an overall record of 231-102 (.693).

During this time, Ball enjoyed a handful of national appointments to US Volleyball coaching staffs. In 1983, Ball served as head coach of the North squad at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo. He took the helm of squads in the Olympic Festival in 1987, 1993 and 1994, capturing a gold in 1994 in St. Louis.

In 1985, Ball served as an assistant coach for the World University Games’ US men’s team in Kobe, Japan and in 1988 was the director of the USVBA Junior Elite Camp in Boulder, Colo.

In 2000, Ball had the prestigious honor of serving as a scout for the U.S. National Team, selecting the team for the Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. Ball’s international coaching career was capped off in 2003 as USA Volleyball appointed Ball as the head coach of the U.S. Team in the World University games. Ball rallied the young team to a number of impressive wins, including a five-set victory over France, clinching a bronze medal.

Despite the world travels that Ball has enjoyed in the sport, his focus has always remained a stronghold in the Fort Wayne community. In 2005, Ball was presented with the prestigious Hilliard Gates Achievement Award for his lifetime accomplishments and contributions to the sporting community of Fort Wayne.

Coach Ball and his wife, Sandy, have three children, Lloy, Amy and Jana. They reside in Fort Wayne.