In a weekend of championships, the women's tennis team plays host to the Mid-American Conference Tennis Championships this weekend. The winner of the four-day event, which will take place at Cardinal Creek Tennis Center, earns the conference's automatic berth into the 2002 NCAA Championship Tournament.
The tournament got underway with first-round action yesterday and continues through Sunday's championship match. The No. 6 seed Cardinals face No. 3 Western Michigan Friday in quarterfinals action.
"We are pleased to be hosting the MAC Tournament," head coach Kathy Bull said. "We feel we have one of the nicest outdoor facilities in the conference plus a staff that does a tremendous job in making these events so successful at Ball State."
The Cardinals enter the tournament coming off back-to-back 7-0 victories over Akron and Buffalo last weekend. In those two matches, the Cardinals surrendered seven games in six doubles matches and posted two-set victories in all but one singles match.
Ball State, which compiled a 12-7 overall record and a 4-5 MAC mark this spring, earned the program's first-ever national ranking of 72nd on March 20 and then moved up to a 66th-place ranking the following week. The rankings came following a school-record eight-match winning streak.
"The national ranking was a pleasant surprise," Bull said. "It wasn't a goal of ours, but it was nice. We had a stretch during that time where we played excellent tennis both within our region and then outside of it."
Since the record streak the Cardinals have suffered five losses, all against league opposition.
"I've been disappointed with our consistency," Bull said. "We've been there in all the big matches but have fallen short. Because of that, I think we feel like we have something to prove this weekend."
Sophomore Melissa Roach will lead at No. 1 singles and doubles, where she teams up with freshman Abigail Hodge. Roach is 19-11 overall, including 5-4 in the MAC while the duo is 14-13 in doubles, and 4-5 in league play.
"Melissa has done an outstanding job for us this year," Bull said. "She needed to prove to herself that she could play at No. 1, and she has done that in short order. Moving from No. 3 to No. 1 is a huge leap, but Melissa has made the move with flying colors."
Eastern Michigan enters as the No. 1 seed after compiling a perfect 9-0 regular-season mark.
"Eastern Michigan is definitely the team to beat," Bull said. "They are the clear-cut favorite and seem to have an extra gear when they are pressed. I believe there are seven teams with the ability and talent to do almost anything.
"Our theme going into the tournament is to improve upon our seed. I think we are better than a No. 6 seed. We're out to prove that."
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