Starting the year, the men's tennis team laid out two goals: winning the Mid-American Conference championship and competing well in the NCAA bid.
Now, as the team prepares to play as the second seed to the conference tournament, it is one step closer to accomplishing those goals.
With a 4-3 win against the University of Toledo on Saturday, the Ball State University men's tennis team is set to enter the MAC tournament in the second spot for the second straight year.
Head coach Bill Richards said his team's second seed could cause it to prepare for the tournament differently.
"Teams in second come in a little more motivated and tend to play with a chip on their shoulder," Richards said.
The Cardinals will play the winner of the University at Buffalo and Toledo match Friday, and the victor of that contest will face No. 71 Western Michigan University in the finals.
In preparing for Friday's match, Richards said Toledo will be out for revenge, not wanting to lose to the same team twice in six days.
"We can't let our guard down," Richards said. "It's hard to beat a team twice in the same week. We are going to have to play our bests against them again."
If the Cardinals win their match against the Rockets or Bulls, they will have to face the favored Broncos in the final game. Ball State lost 4-3 to Western Michigan in the championship match last season. In this season's one conference loss, the men's tennis team was defeated 6-1 in a match that Richards said was "much closer than the scores indicated."
Despite Western Michigan's undefeated MAC record and nationally ranked status, No. 1 singles player Jose Perdomo said the team is confident in its ability to face the No. 1 seed.
"We see ourselves as having a chance if we play well," Perdomo said. "We are trying not to think about Western, but if we do play them we have a really good group of guys to get the job done."
Richards said the team is focused solely on its next match.
"I'm reluctant to about [playing Western Michigan] because I feel that if I talk about it then we probably won't get far enough to play them," Richards said.
Having two freshmen on the team, Perdomo said the Cardinals have experience behind them. Entering the tournament with one senior, three juniors and one sophomore who have all previously played in the tournament, Perdomo said the program's winning tradition helps to prepare players for this time of the season.
"We understand where we come from and where we are going," Perdomo said. "We know what we are playing for and are ready to get it."
Looking back on the year, Richards said the team is prepared for its final few matches.
"[The team] has been playing together since last August," Richards said. "We are right at the peak of the mountain, and all we need to do is take the last step."
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