The last time the Ball State University women's tennis team matched up against Miami University on March 22, the RedHawks claimed a 7-0 shutout in which the Cardinals scrapped up one win at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Head coach Kathy Bull said when her team plays Miami Friday in the Mid-American Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the University at Buffalo, the Cardinals will look to play more focused and smarter singles.
"We've been through some rough times; we've been down a little bit and discouraged, but I thought finally this last Saturday all six women played up to their ability, and that's really important," Bull said of Ball State's (9-10, 2-5 MAC) 6-1 win against Northern Illinois University on Saturday. "If we can have that kind of steady performance out of six people playing singles, I think that will be a big improvement that I think we will see on the score sheets."
Ball State, the No. 7 seed in the tournament, will have to contend with No. 2 seed Miami's big three - Kelly Douple, Brittney Larson and Anastasia Dracheva.
Douple, a senior, is riding an eight-match winning streak - all in MAC play at No. 4 and 5 singles. She is 19-11 combined in singles and doubles this season; Larson, a sophomore, has a 7-1 MAC record in singles play and is 24-14 combined overall, and Dracheva, a freshman, is 21-7 overall, including a 5-2 MAC record at No. 1 doubles.
Douple defeated freshman Hayley Hall 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 singles in the first Ball State, Miami match earlier in the season, while Larson defeated senior Haly Calderwood 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 singles and Dracheva defeated sophomore Sophie Quist 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
"If we play smart and steady, we can make it tough on Miami," Bull said. "We know they are a good team, but I think it's a good draw for us."
The RedHawks (13-6, 7-1 MAC) have won 15 MAC women's tennis titles in school history, the last coming 10 seasons ago in 1998. The winner of Friday's quarterfinal match will play the winner of the No. 3 University of Toledo and No. 6 Buffalo match in the semifinals at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Western Michigan University, ranked No. 62 nationally, is the No. 1 seed after claiming its fourth straight undefeated MAC regular-season title. The Broncos will play Friday against the winner of No. 8 University of Akron and No. 9 Northern Illinois.
Bull said she is confident her team will be hungry for a win in Friday's match, which begins at 2 p.m.
"I think we can perform well against [Miami]; we have nothing to lose and everything to gain," Bull said. "We'll see if we can take a few small steps at a time at them."
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
