It's been on the minds of all the players on the Ball State University men's tennis team since last April: take back the Mid-American Conference Championship from Western Michigan University.
"We've had two years where we haven't won it," senior Jose Perdomo said in January. "Last year was really bad. My sophomore year we didn't win it, but we were there, right there. Just being part of a team that brought back what we stand for which is winning MAC championships and going to the NCAA."
Western Michigan will try to win its third straight conference crown and the only team that stands in the way is Ball State. Perdomo and fellow senior Jorge Rodriguez were freshmen when Ball State last won the MAC Championship in 2006.
While a two-year absence from the conference title might not seem very long for most varsity sports on campus, for the men's tennis team, it's a drought. Since Bill Richards became the Cardinals' coach in 1972, Ball State has won 35 regular season or tournament MAC titles, with the first coming in 1984.
Western Michigan is where Richards played tennis collegiately and where he won a MAC championship in singles and doubles. Now, Richards and Cardinals are working to prevent the Broncos from pulling off a MAC hat trick of three straight championships.
"It's a rivalry," Richards said. "For the last 10 years we are the only two teams who have won the conference."
Western Michigan has been the frontrunner this season not only because it is the defending champion but also because it defeated quality opponents this season.
The Broncos have victories against ranked opponents and have shown they can beat a Big Ten team. The best win the Cardinals can boast is a 4-3 victory at the University of Toledo Sunday.
Western Michigan also was voted by the MAC coaches to win the conference in a preseason. Ball State was predicted to finish second.
"They are the defending champions," Richards said. "Until someone beats them they will get the benefit of the doubt in that type of vote."
Both the Cardinals and Broncos have a 3-0 record in MAC play with two conference matches remaining. The winner of Saturday's match would be in the driver seat for the regular season title.
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