The start of the weekend means Spring Break and a trip south to sunshine and warmer weather for many Ball State students. For the men's tennis team it means another week of work on the courts.
Saturday the No. 60 Cardinals (7-4) play host to Dayton (1-6) and Chicago State. Head coach Bill Richards said these two teams are not at the level of the Big Ten Conference teams the Cardinals have faced over the past month, but they could challenge the Cardinals if they play poorly.
"I think any time you go into a weekend like this from the coach's perspective you certainly don't want to have a letdown," Richards said. "You don't want your players to think they can get by with anything less than their best efforts."
After the doubleheader on Saturday, the team will have five days without competition before the UNLV Tournament on March 14 in Las Vegas. The tournament consists of eight teams, and the only other ranked team in the bracket is No. 65 Central Florida (9-2).
Ball State will play against Weber State (2-3) in the first round of the tournament, and Richards said it is possible the Cardinals will match up with Central Florida in a second round.
Richards said the trip west would allow his team to get reacquainted with playing on outdoor courts after several months of indoor action.
"We hope this starts that transition," Richards said. "We hope that when we get back from the trip that we will be able to start moving outdoors here."
Senior Kevin Burnett and sophomore Klint Knable were both injured and unable to compete in singles Feb. 28 against Northwestern, but Richards said the injuries were minor. He said two would be back in the lineup on Saturday.
Burnett was recently honored as Mid-American Conference Player of the Week, becoming the third straight Ball State player to win the honor (Chris Varga and Marr Baccarani won previously).
The senior teamed with Baccarani for doubles wins over the No. 1 pairs from Northwestern (which was ranked No. 10 in the nation) and Indiana, and also had a singles win. Burnett and Baccarani are 10-5 together, and Burnett is 14-10 in singles action.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
