Although the exhaustion from the past weekend is hard to get rid of for the Ball State men's tennis team, the players are not letting it show, by pushing themselves to increase their level of play with each and every serve.
Ball State has stayed relaxed and focused, refusing to let the gloomy weather disrupt what it is trying to do on the court when it hosts the 32nd-annual Ball State Invitational starting Friday.
"[Practice] has been good. Everyone's a little tired coming off the weekend," coach Bill Richards said. "We had a good conditioning early Tuesday morning and then a low key practice Tuesday. We couldn't do what we wanted [Wednesday] because of the weather, but that's OK. We've had good focus and good attitude."
Sophomore Alexandre Brym said since last weekend's Milwaukee Tennis Classic was so hard on the team, taking some rest and prepare is just what they needed.
Some of the rest is to cure injuries. Junior Andres Monroy is feeling back pains, and freshman Austin Smith has a sprained ankle.
"Our major injury is Austin Smith and his ankle. Tennis is a sport where it's all or nothing," Richards said. "In other sports if you have a sprained ankle, you can still contribute to a degree. It's an unknown with Austin. I know he wants to play, but I think it's going to be hard for him to play 100 percent and be effective."
Richards said a final decision on Smith's playing status will be made after today's practice.
Playing at home is something all the players like and so does Richards. The Cardinals said they look forward to the Ball State Invitational every year.
"We enjoy this tournament," Richards said. "We have a great facility, and we're proud of our tradition and program here so we look forward to be playing the tournament at home."
Last weekend exposed a weak spot for Ball State. Singles play is still its strength, but doubles play needs work.
"I thought we saw some potential in a couple of teams last weekend in Milwaukee," Richards said. "We didn't get to play a lot of matches, so I think this weekend will give us a better idea of actually where we really are."
The combination of junior Derek Carpenter and Monroy in doubles has worked so far. They won both of their doubles matches this weekend.
"Coach has always told us to take care of our part," Carpenter said. "I'm doing my part in doubles, and me and Andres are just trying win and stay positive and have our teammates feed off of it.
"[Doubles] is going to come along. It's going to be a long process. We have a long ways till the big season hits."
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