Through its first 13 matches of the 2011-2012 season, it looked as if the Ball State men's tennis team would head into the Mid-American Conference season on a hot streak.
The Cardinals' record was an impressive 11-2 and they were No. 73 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings.
All was well for the MAC preseason favorite.
But a 2-4 record in its past six matches has brought Ball State back to reality.
Before it begins its conference season next week, Ball State will look to regain some of its momentum today and Saturday when it faces Butler (3-13) and No. 41 ranked Notre Dame.
"Butler is a team that's very young, and their record is not very good, but they're a much better team than what their record would indicate," Ball State coach Bill Richards said. "Our guys are going to have to understand that they're a team that's won their last two matches, and they'll be ready to give us a tough challenge.
"As far as Notre Dame, one of the better teams on our schedule, they're capable of being a top 15-20 team. They've had a couple tough losses this year that they probably should've won. Obviously, we're going to have to play our best to give ourselves a chance in the match."
The Cardinals have been unable to give themselves a chance to defeat the Fighting Irish over the past five seasons. The closest they've come to defeating them was during the 2009-2010 season, when they lost 5-2.
In that particular match, the Cardinals had a healthy Cliff Morrison and Andres Monroy. Both Morrison and Monroy are seniors this season, but they may not play the rest of the season because of their injuries. Morrison has been dealing with complications to both legs and will not return this season, while Monroy has been dealing with a hip injury.
Sophomore Austin Smith said Richards incorporates them into practices despite their injuries.
"Coach keeps [Morrison and Monroy] involved in practice, and they fill in spots when some of us may be sitting out for the day," he said. "It's really frustrating knowing that there's a chance they may not play this year."
Butler has been no problem for Ball State in the past. The Cardinals have defeated the Bulldogs 6-1 in the past two seasons.
Like Richards, Smith said the team needs to stay focused and not overlook Butler.
"We know a lot of the players on [Butler's] team, and we know they've been having a down year this season," he said. "But we can't go into the match being overconfident. We just need to get in there on Thursday and do what we need to do for us to win that match."
Smith said the keys to defeating Butler and Notre Dame this week are maintaining focus, feeding off of each other's energy and believing they can win.
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