The men's tennis team enters the final days of the regular season with a blurry picture of the Mid-American Conference race. The picture will be more focused after No. 66 Ball State (13-7, 3-0) takes on No. 65 Western Michigan (18-3, 3-0) on Saturday.
The Cardinals cannot clench the MAC title on Saturday, but if they beat Western Michigan and Northern Illinois they will win the regular season championship.
Ball State, Western Michigan and Northern Illinois all still have a chance to win the regular season title. The winner receives the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament later this month.
The Cardinals have been in this position in past years.
Last year, the final month of the season saw a mid-April showdown with a conference opponent. Bowling Green claimed the regular season Mid-American Conference title with a 4-3 victory over Ball State.
Head coach Bill Richards said his team must put the loss at Notre Dame on Wednesday out of its mind. The focus for the team will be preparing for the outdoor match.
"The big thing for us is to work hard outdoors for two days," he said. "We've been stuck back indoors with lousy weather, and we're assuredly going to play this match outdoors."
Richards said every year the top two priorities for his team are to win the conference regular season and also the tournament title. Ball State has won 16 conference championships.
The game will be played at home, at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Courts at 1 p.m.
"In terms of playing on your own courts and not having to travel, being in your familiar surroundings -- it's definitely an advantage," Richards said.
Ball State was a preseason favorite to win the MAC title this season, and Western Michigan was picked to finish third.
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