The Ball State University men's tennis team will face what coach Bill Richards said was the best of the best in the Midwest this weekend.
Freshman Eduardo Pavia, junior Jose Perdomo and senior Jarrod Epkey will compete at the International Tennis Associations Midwest Regional Championships this weekend, a 37-team tournament that involves every Division-I collegiate tennis program in this part of the country.
"[Pavia, Perdomo, and Epkey] have been some of our best performers all year." Richards said.
Epkey will compete in the original 56-man singles main draw of the tournament, which forces Perdomo and Pavia to combat through the 64-man singles qualifying draw for the chance of meeting Epkey in the higher rounds.
Every team competing is allowed at least one entry in the 56-man singles main draw, and any additional players must qualify through another 64-man singles qualifying draw. The top eight players in the qualifying draw then compete in the main draw, allowing for a full 64-man bracket.
"I consider us more of a middle Big Ten team," Richards said, "When we look at teams like [the University of] Illinois and Ohio State [University], they are clearly higher than us."
According to the Fila NCAA regional rankings taken last June, Ohio State ranked No. 1 and Illinois ranked No. 2, respectively. Ball State failed to make the top 15. However, Richards has confidence in the ability of his players.
"I feel like the guys we brought here can knock off any other team in the tournament," he said.
The Epkey and Perdomo doubles duo that competed in the ITA All-American qualifiers two weeks ago will represent Ball State again this weekend. Epkey said he felt Perdomo and himself played their best tennis of the fall at their last tournament and they gain more confidence each time they team up as doubles partners.
"[Perdomo and I] are starting to get used to one another, our movements and our actions are becoming better," Epkey said. "It takes a while to develop that partnership, confidence and trust to relieve pressure from yourself."
Despite Ball State competing against some of the best teams in the nation, Epkey feels like his teammates can compete among the top schools this weekend.
"We are confident since we brought our top three guys, who have been playing well," Epkey said. "It's not about school name on T-shirts, it's about playing one match at a time."
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