Entering game two of a five-game homestand, the Ball State University men's tennis team faces IPFW today still looking to find their first win of duel match schedule.
The Cardinals lost their first two matches to nationally ranked University of
Illinois and 3-1 Northwestern University last weekend and Ball State coach Bill Richards said Thursday's game against the Mastodons will be a proving ground for the team to get back on its feet for the University of Michigan Saturday.
"I am looking for good competitive attitudes," Richards said.
"Everyone needs to approach [IPFW] with confidence because they need to prove something going into Michigan.
Everyone was disappointed and need to use this match to gain confidence."
Sunday's loss against Northwestern was considered a "disappointing loss" by many on the Cardinal team. Coming off of a difficult match in Champaign, Ill. to the No. 8 ranked Illini, Ball State fell to Northwestern 6-1 in their home opener after it lost three tough doubles points early in the match.
However, senior Daniel Vidal said what the team needs to prove against IPFW is simple.
"We need to prove that we can put six guys out on the court that can win," Vidal said. "It's all about winning, and if we don't win it's a bad day."
In 2006 the Cardinals went 10-13, but finished second behind Eastern Michigan in the Mid-American Conference tournament. With 20 more games left in the duel match schedule, the team realizes that the early stumble last weekend is just a small part of the larger upcoming winter season, Vidal said.
"We played against two pretty good teams and had a hiccup against Northwestern." Vidal said. "We have our heads up and we are going to keep going."
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