Almost two months into the season, the Ball State University gymnastics team is still winless at 0-8.
In search of the elusive first victory, the Cardinals will travel to the University of Illinois-Chicago for a Saturday meet. The Flames haven't had much luck either. They have won once this season against Centenary College of Louisiana in January.
Ball State coach Nadalie Walsh said while winning isn't as important in gymnastics as the team's average score, the losses do bother the team.
"It's very disappointing to them," the first-year coach said. "Even one win would help them have an emotional turnaround."
Despite the losses, the Cardinals have showed improvement in their last three meets. They have scored better than 189 each time and set a season high for points twice in that span. However, scoring within the same point frame for three straight competitions could suggest the team has peaked, something Walsh was quick to refute.
"They have not plateaued at all," Walsh said. "They continue to get better and better every meet. They just seem to have something go wrong."
Walsh said based on her team's performance in the last meet, she thinks the breakout score could come sooner rather than later.
"I think they will do it this week because they had three perfect events last weekend," she said.
Illinois-Chicago is the first of the Cardinals' final three meets in the 2008 regular season schedule. With three meets left, Walsh said, the team still has enough time to improve its average score enough to qualify for postseason competitions outside of the Mid-American Conference Championship.
"I don't think we are running out of time, I just think the time has come," Walsh said. "... The time's come they have to do it."
Following the Illinois-Chicago competition, the Cardinals have a full-week break with no school. They will compete next at Central Michigan University the Saturday of that weekend.
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