After losing to Miami 6-1 earlier in the year, it's easy to believe that Ball State wouldn't want to face the RedHawks in the first round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.
Coach Kathy Bull, however, says that this is not the case.
"If I could have picked someone to play, I think Miami would have been near the top of the list," she said. "You don't like to wait an entire year (to avenge a loss). I'm not exactly sure the outcome will be different, but I think we can put up a better effort than last time, for sure.
No. 1 singles player senior Melissa Roach, who warned Miami to "beware" after the Cardinals beat Bowling Green, says she always thought the Cardinals could beat Miami.
"I really do think we have a chance. I would have given them the 'ultimatum' if I didn't," she said. "And I think we thought we had a chance last time, and we knew it on the inside, but we didn't show it. We knew we could win on the inside, but not on the outside."
The Cardinals faced Miami two weeks ago, and both teams will have the same lineup from their previous match for the upcoming 2 p.m. match in DeKalb, Ill. This could be an advantage for the Cardinals, who admit they were not at the top of their game the first time the teams met.
Miami may not give the Cardinals the planning they deserve if they assume that the Ball State is the same team that faced the RedHawks two weeks ago.
"I don't think that they respect us as much as we deserve," Bull said. "They may be looking ahead and assuming they'll be playing Marshall on Saturday. If we can take those two advantages and use them, we might put them off their game a bit.
Even if the Cardinals catch the RedHawks off-guard, Bull knows upsetting them will not be easy.
"They're a good team with good depth from (second to sixth singles)," she said. "We need to try and get them out of their game. I hope they're overlooking us, by a lot."
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