Ball State will return home after spending Spring Break in the desert and hopes to continue its winning streak over Big Ten schools. The No. 64 Cardinals (9-5) play host to No. 52 Michigan State (10-4) and IPFW (5-8) today.
Assuming the weather forecast holds, the first match tomorrow against the Spartans will be played outdoors at 2 p.m., while the second match will be indoors regardless. If the temperature is over 50 degrees, and the wind is less than 20 miles per hour, the Michigan State match will be played at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center.
"The conditions are not going to be the greatest," BSU coach Bill Richards said. "This time of year, you have to get outside and play in less-than-desirable conditions. I think whoever handles that well from an attitude standpoint will be successful."
The Cardinals are returning from a trip to Las Vegas, where they dropped two matches, but Richards considers the trip a success.
"The trip couldn't have gone better ," Richards said. "The weather was great, we played well, we just lost to a very good UNLV team in a match that was a coin flip."
Richards cited the four-and-a half-hour playtime of the UNLV match and the early start time of the Oklahoma State match as the reasons for their struggles.
"The first match outdoors against a team that is outdoors all year -- you put yourself in a compromising position always when you do it," Richards said.
The Cardinals dropped a 5-2 decision to the Spartans last season, but have only dropped one match at home this season. However, those wins have all come at the Muncie YMCA Indoor Tennis Center, not at Cardinal Creek.
Richards said that both teams have a chance to win, and that the match could go either way.
"They have a lot of balance and a lot of depth," he said. "It's going to be another tough match. It depends on the day."
The Cardinals have won three straight matches against Big Ten schools with wins over Indiana, Purdue and Wisconsin.
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