Strong play in the doubles matches by the men's tennis team carried over into singles action, as the Cardinals recorded their second Mid-American Conference win in as many tries, this one a 6-1 victory at Northern Illinois.
Ball State's overall record improved to 9-11 with the road win. The Cards swept the three doubles games and won five of the six singles contests. The match was played in Aurora, Ill., at an indoor complex about an hour from the Northern Illinois campus.
"Overall it was a very solid match for us," head coach Bill Richards said. "Northern Illinois is a much-improved team from last year, and as a coach you always worry about guys looking ahead, but we certainly didn't do that. We had a good mindset and take on at a time, played a real solid match.
"I expected a tough match, but our level of readiness was very good. Our guys got up early, stayed up and never let them into it."
The first doubles team of Jason Pressel and Kevin Burnett downed the Huskies' duo of Raymond Van Wasveek and Aaron Forsberg, 8-3. At third doubles the Cardinals' Brad Rhodes and Matt Laramore defeated Jon Pearlman and Paul Glendenning by the same score. Second doubles saw Chris Varga and Klint Knable of Ball State beating Juan Baraga and Eric Martinez 8-5.
The Cardinals' lone loss came at first singles, where Pressel fell to Baraga 6-3, 6-7 (7-4), 6-3.
Ball State then ran off wins in the rest of the matches. Getting those victories were Varga (6-2, 4-6, 6-4 over Baraga), Andrew Sunny (6-2, 6-4 over Martinez), Burnett (6-3, 6-1 over Forsberg), Laramore (6-0, 6-0 over Pearlman) and Rhodes (6-2, 6-0 over Pickel).
"We dominated the doubles, and I think that took a little of their confidence," Richards said. "That carried over into the singles. They came in thinking they had a chance, but we came out and set the tone."
The Cardinals will take to the courts again on Saturday when they travel to Western Michigan.
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