How Ball State men's volleyball coach led historic run to Final Four after abrupt coaching change

In June 2025, Mike Iandolo found himself unexpectedly thrust into the role of interim head coach for Ball State men's volleyball after four seasons in Muncie as an assistant. Fast forward to May 2026, and Iandolo's Cardinals are getting ready to play in the Final Four of the NCAA National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship. Ball State swept the Men's Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) regular season and tournament titles to earn a national seed in the tournament, then defeated Pepperdine in a five-set thriller on May 2 to clinch a spot in the national semifinals for the first time since 2022 and give the program its first non-consolation round NCAA Tournament win since 1973.

A humble leader, Iandolo is quick to credit those around him for his immediate head coaching success. "We've got the right players, for sure, and I think our assistant coaches are doing a really good job bringing their perspective in here on some things," Iandolo said. "But I also think it helps that I've been here and I knew a lot of these guys, recruited most of them, been in the gym with them, and knew last year the things that didn't go well.

" More: Patrick Rogers serves Ball State men's volleyball into NCAA Final Four More: Ball State men's volleyball clinches NCAA Tournament bid, wins MIVA title At this time last year, Iandolo becoming the head coach was far from anyone's mind. Donan Cruz's resignation from the post in June caught everyone off guard, including the players and assistant coaches. Iandolo was named interim coach immediately upon Cruz's resignation and had the interim tag removed in the weeks leading up to the season.

Even with the unexpected change, Ball State's players were confident that Iandolo was the right man for the job. "I had no doubts from the start when I heard that news that Mike would be awesome," senior outside hitter Patrick Rogers said. "He's been a previous head coach before he came here about four years ago, so he's got the experience.