IPFW's Ball to be inducted into national volleyball coaches Hall of Fame

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Add another Hall of Fame honor to IPFW men volleyball coach Arnie Ball's resume.

The American Volleyball Coaches Association announced Tuesday that Ball will be inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame as part of its 2012 class.

Ball in 32 seasons as IPFW's head coach has guided the Mastodons to six Final Four appearances and five conference championships. In addition, Ball in 2011 became the second coach in the Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association's 53-year conference history to accumulate 500 career wins.

One of the coach's most successful season came in 2007 when IPFW upset Ohio State to win the MIVA championship and then reached the NCAA championship match for the first time in program history. Ball that season also was named the AVCA Division I-II National Coach of the Year and the Asics/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.

Along with these recent successes, the 1994 IPFW team that Ball coached remains the only non-West Coast school in NCAA history to earn an at-large bid to the four-team men's volleyball NCAA Tournament.

The Mastodons under Ball have had 15 All-American players and two future Olympic athletes -- including Ball's son, Lloy, who helped the United States win the gold medal in 2008.

Ball before arriving to IPFW in 1981 was the head coach at Harding High School and led the program to three Indiana Volleyball Coaches Association Championships.

In addition to his men's volleyball coaching experience, Ball spent eight seasons as the IPFW women's volleyball head coach in the 1980s. Ball on the women's volleyball side compiled a 231-102 career record and led IPFW to four Great Lakes Valley Conference championships.

Ball in 2005 was awarded the Hilliard Gates Achievement Award for his lifetime accomplishments and contributions to Fort Wayne. The coach one year later was also inducted to the IPFW Athletics Hall of Fame.

Ball is one of four new members selected to the AVCA Hall of Fame. Among the other class of 2012 inductees includes former Olympic coach and Washington coach Bill Neville and former San Diego State coach Rudy Suwara.

The new class will be formally inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame at a ceremony during the organization's annual convention on Dec. 13 in Louisville, Ky.