Kathy Bull has been head coach of the Ball State University women's tennis team for 21 years.
After the Cardinals' match against the University of Memphis Friday, Bull said the postgame headache she experienced was a first of her career.
"Memphis is a team that are loud, they cheer, they were chest bumping," Bull said. "It was the most combative contest verbally I have ever experienced in my life."
Ball State used the extra motivation to its advantage, and freshman Georgina Thomson's 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 6 singles gave the Cardinals a 4-3 victory.
Junior Emma Retter found herself in a similar situation in Saturday's match against Tennessee Tech University. Tied at three matches apiece, Retter won in three sets at No. 5 singles, 6-2, 6-7 (7-3), 6-4 to earn the win for Ball State (6-3).
"These go down as two really good team victories for us," Bull said. "I knew our opposition would be evenly matched. I'm really impressed - this was just a great weekend for us."
The Cardinals first earned the doubles point against Memphis after senior captains Haly Calderwood and Jennifer Pollack won 8-1 at No. 1 and sophomore Sophie Quist and Thomson won 8-6 at No. 2.
"I think what was really cool was if you go back and look at the doubles, our one team was just on fire - just unstoppable," Bull said.
The Tigers' (4-5) Ashley Murdock continued her winning ways this season by defeating junior Emma Retter and sophomore Katherine Rist 8-2 at No. 3 doubles with partner Kristin Chamberlain before defeating Quist 6-4, 6-2 at No. 1 singles.
Murdock still holds a 8-0 singles record this season.
In singles play, the Cardinals also got wins from Pollack at No. 2 (6-4, 6-2), and freshman Hayley Hall at No. 5 (6-1, 6-0).
Bull said her team came out "emotionally flat" against Tennessee Tech (2-6) after a tough match against Memphis.
"I had not seen my team that flat this year," Bull said. "They weren't down, they were just flat from the previous day."
In contrast to the Memphis match, the Cardinals dropped the doubles point after losing at the No. 1 and 2 spots. Emma Retter and Katherine Rist at the No. 3 spot earned the only doubles win for Ball State with a 8-4 triumph.
Ball State then had to rely on its singles play to determine the outcome of the match, which was the team's first outdoor match of the season.
Hall won at No. 4 6-0, 6-0, Thomson won at No. 6 6-1, 6-3, Calderwood won a three-setter 6-4, 3-6, 6-1 at No. 3 and that is when Retter won the determining match at the No. 5 spot.
"That was one of Emma's best performances in her career here," Bull said. "Everywhere I look, from top to bottom, absolutely everybody contributed at some point this weekend.
"Both matches this weekend had different circumstances, and different people stepped up."
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