If one were to take any of the five matches the men's tennis team lost against Bowling Green and turn it into a win, Ball State would have won 4-3 instead of losing 4-3.
In a showdown between the Mid-American Conference co-leaders, the Cardinals virtually put themselves out of contention for the MAC title as head coach Bill Richards said only one loss could be detrimental.
"When you look back at your career, there are always a handful of matches that stick out in your mind," Richards said. "Some are wins, some are losses. This match is going to be one of the losses."
Richards said the team lacked the instinctive toughness it displayed against No. 7 Notre Dame last weekend. Seniors Jason Pressel and Andrew Seni - who posted wins against nationally ranked opponents the Fighting Irish - came up short against players Richards said were not nearly the same caliber of opponents as against Notre Dame.
"Seniors need to lead us to the championship," Richards said. "Pressel and Seni played well against Notre Dame, but it sure did not show here."
"But, man-for-man, we didn't play with that chip on our shoulder and that 'can-not-be-denied' type of attitude," Richards said. "We seemed to play with no sense of purpose."
Richards attributed the Cardinals' demise mainly to a lack of focus to the task at hand. Still, he said if the match would have been at home, it would have been close, but Ball State probably would have won.
Nonetheless, Richards said he - from his standpoint - was disappointed in the way his team performed.
"This sure wasn't the same team that I've seen throughout the year," Richards said.
The team plays host to the University at Buffalo Saturday. Richards said he wants to see the team get back into the form it was in.
A main key for the Cards will be to establish solid play in doubles, which has cursed the team all season.
Though the Buffalo squad has not won a match with the league all season, Richards said he knows it will be anything but easy.
"Nothing about this match is going to be relaxed," Richards said. "After losing the championship, I can only hope we get that fire back in us to prepare for the conference tournament."
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