With the start of Mid-American Conference play this weekend, the Cardinals have a chance to prove they belong at the top of the conference standings.
After losing three of their last five matches, the Ball State University men's tennis team dropped out of the rankings this week for the first time all season.
"We're disappointed," coach Bill Richards said. "You always want to be ranked. Every match we've lost has been to a good team. We just didn't get the job done against some of the good teams that we would like to be able to beat."
The Cardinals (13-6) will be at home Saturday when they face a Buffalo team that is 8-5 on the year.
The Cardinals will be the favorites in the match, but Richards said Buffalo is a program that has been on the rise.
"When they first came into the league back in the late '90s, they were pretty weak at that time." he said. "Getting into the conference has really helped them a lot. They've improved a lot. They've become a very competitive team."
Richards said entering conference play gives his team a new start.
"Even though we play a lot of Big Ten teams and a lot of good national-level programs, nevertheless, the conference is the most important thing," Richards said. "We're definitely excited to be getting into conference play."
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