Ball State's men's tennis team is looking to add to the program's rich tradition on Saturday when it faces Western Michigan for a share of the Mid-American Conference title.
The Cardinals (16-8, 3-0 MAC) look to clinch their 18th MAC title when they play host to the defending-champion Broncos (15-5, 3-0).
"In a player's career, if someone's fortunate to play four years in college tennis, there are big matches that define a year and, in a way, define the career," BSU coach Bill Richards said. "This is one of those matches."
The Cardinals faced then-No. 61 Western Michigan around the same time last year falling 4-3 in Kalamazoo.
"I think they have better depth than they had last year," Richards said. "They haven't completely replaced the No. 1 player, but they're a better team than they were a year ago.
"They've had kind of a soft spot in their schedule the last three weeks or so. They haven't been tested lately."
Richards, however, also feels his team has improved since the previous season, when they did not reach the title game in the conference tournament.
"That's for two reasons: We returned all of our players and added more players, which has given us more options," Richards said. "That has increased competition for lineup positions.
"Both teams are improved over last year; it should be a very good match."
Since Ball State first won the MAC regular season in 1984, the Cardinals have dropped just six regular-season conference games. Richards, in his 33rd year as Ball State coach, says that this match will rely heavily on attitude.
"Any time you play a match that has the implications of this one, the mental-emotional aspect of the match is a very big part of it," he said.
Western Michigan and Ball State are also favored to meet for the title in the MAC tournament, which will be held in Kalamazoo.
"This has to be the most important match right now," Richards said. "To have a great season, you have to win the regular-season championship; that's what goes in the record book. They give you the rings for that, and then there's the tournament, and you earn your way into the NCAAs. Both equally important, we have to take it one step at a time."
Ball State's 18 MAC championships are the most of any Ball State sport and is second in MAC tennis history, all coming within the last 21 years. From 1984 to 1995, the Cardinals won 12 straight MAC titles, a league record.
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