Last season, Ball State University finished 3-5 in Mid-American Conference play. Despite consistently playing three freshmen, coach Kathy Bull feels her team can finish in the top half of conference play.
The Cardinals will start their MAC season this weekend with two matches, hosting the University at Buffalo Friday and the University of Akron Saturday.
"We're in the new phase of our season," Bull said. "Our record is 0-0. Conference is just about pride and doing whatever it takes to win that tennis match. I'm starting to see that kind of work in my tennis team."
The venue of both matches depends on the weather. If the weather holds up, the matches will be played outdoors at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center. If not, they will move to the YMCA Tennis Center.
Bull said that with the number of quality teams in the conference it will be a tough challenge for her seniorless squad to compete for a MAC title.
"That's pretty lofty right now," Bull said. "We're consistently putting three freshman out there, and that will be pretty out of our grasp. I think we're probably a year or two away from that status. I'm not being pessimistic or anything else, but our conference is deep."
Ball State will be led in singles play by Sophie Quist. Since moving into the No. 1 spot, the freshman has gone 3-4. She was 3-2 in five matches playing at No. 2 and 3 singles.
Moving Australian Haly Calderwood from No. 1 to No. 2 has worked out well. After starting off with a 1-4 mark, the junior has gone 4-3 in her last seven matches.
Ball State has mixed up its doubles teams - Bull has tried nine different combinations thus far. Emma Retter and Katherine Rist lead the way with a 2-0 record at No. 3 doubles. Both wins have come in the last two matches.
"I'm comfortable playing doubles, especially with Emma because we played together in the fall," Rist said. "We have a lot of good chemistry on the court."
Quist and Calderwood are 3-1 at No. 1 doubles, and Polina Askerko and Stephanie Farrar are 4-2 at No. 3 doubles. However, the latter two won't play together for a while. Farrar is unlikely to play because of her back injury.
"I got frustrated one day and said, 'This is not working,'" Bull said. "I changed all three of my doubles teams and it worked for us that day. They're going to say like that. If we have another day where we're not going to step up, we're going to change it again."
Rist, a freshman from Leawood, Kan., has played her way into the No. 6 singles stop. In five matches, she is 3-2 on the season, replacing Polina Askerko, who continues to struggle in singles play with a 1-6 record.
"I've been working very hard in practice, so I'm glad Kathy gave me a chance to put that hard work to use," Rist said. "I feel comfortable that I'm competing a lot. That's when I play my best tennis, so it feels pretty good."
In actionBALL STATE VS.Buffalo
TIME1 p.m. Friday
VENUECardinal Creek Tennis Center
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