The 80-degree weather of Las Vegas almost served as Spring Break to the Ball State University men's tennis players, if they would have won.
Instead, in a 5-2 loss to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the Cardinals dropped their first outdoor contest of the spring in a match that perplexed head coach Bill Richards.
"I wish I could give a clear answer to solve the loss," Richards said. "We had a good week of practice, and we were going into the match with confidence, but the scenario was the same. There was a lack of toughness to get through adversity and a 'here-we-go-again' type of attitude. It was frustrating, disappointing and confusing."
Ball State failed to clinch the doubles point, but a victory at the No. 2 spot from Eduardo Pavia and Bret Berryman kept the team from being swept.
The same trend of play carried over to singles. Losing No. 1 through No. 4 singles, the Cardinals' closest match came from Jose Perdomo at the first spot 6-2, 6-4. Ball State's won at No. 5 singles with Jorge Rodriguez and freshman Shaun Bussert won at the No. 6 spot.
Bussert's victory was his third-straight win after not playing for almost a month. His two 6-0 victories against IUPUI on March 10 and winning 6-3, 7-6 against the Rebels marked his first competition since Feb. 13.
"I wasn't sure how he would play," Richards said. "Shaun is a tough kid and great competitor who has not been playing as much as anticipated. To his credit he was able to play well and take the opportunity when it was there. Our team talks about opportunity, and he took a big step."
Bussert said he thought he had nothing to prove.
"I felt like I contributed as much as anyone else to the win," Bussert said.
Richards said he did not know why his team failed to perform.
"Not being competitive is not acceptable," Richards said. "I wish I had an answer [to the loss]. All I can do is put the right people out there and continue to work."
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