Entering the second match of six straight road contests, the Ball State University men's tennis team travels to the Boise State Invitational on Friday.
In the eight-team tournament, the Cardinals will be in the same venue with Boise State University, Brigham Young University, Georgia State University, the University of Portland, the University of Nevada, No. 65 Wichita State University and Yale University.
However, with the start of Ball State's conference-season opening against Chicago State University on Thursday, the Boise State Invitational plays an important role in preparing for Mid-American Conference play, senior Danny Vidal said.
"This tournament is very important because we want a couple wins and momentum going [into conference play]," Vidal said. "Right now we are struggling mentally. We are playing some good tennis, but mentally we need to be tougher."
The Cardinals' opening round will be against No. 65 Wichita State. The 9-1 Shockers are on a eight-game winning streak and currently sit as a top seed of the invitational.
Head coach Bill Richards said his team needs to come out strong and win early.
"Individually, we want to win the doubles point so we can hope to gain momentum moving into singles," he said.
With the recent arrest of No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles player Bret Berryman, Richards said, the team will struggle with a roster of seven players. Junior Joe Vallee will move from his spot at No. 4 singles to fill Berryman's position as the team moves into the conference season, Richards said.
Despite Ball State's 6-8 record going into this weekend, Vidal said the team isn't thinking about the results of past matches. Although the team has had struggles this season, he said, his job as a senior is to make sure the team stays positive down the stretch.
"My job is to keep everyone motivated and on the same page," Vidal said. "The people shouldn't get down because the most important part of the season is coming up."
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