Junior Cliff Morrison was in a battle at No. 2 singles with Axel Lagerlof of Northern Illinois on Friday and needed some help.
When Lagerlof scored a point in the second set he yelled, "Too good, too good!" to himself. It was the ammunition the Ball State players watching from the stands needed. Morrison's teammates went to work distracting Lagerlof any way they could.
"Too good, too good," one of the Ball State players said, causing all the Cardinals to laugh.
The mimicking picked up once Morrison scored a point.
"You're too good, Cliff, you're too good," junior Derek Carpenter said to Morrison.
The Ball State players were trying to get inside Lagerlof's head but were not having any luck. Even though Ball State had a 3-0 lead, Northern Illinois was ahead in the final four singles matches.
Despite being pushed by Lagerlof, Morrison hit three straight winners in the third set. Lagerlof volleyed a ball out of frustration that nearly hit Morrison and picked up a court violation.
Morrison controlled the match after that.
The Cardinals in the stands had thrown Lagerlof off his game. At match point, the Ball State players started a slow clap, causing the official to intervene.
The pressure got to Lagerlof as he double faulted, which clinched the match for Ball State.
Coach Bill Richards said he knows about the mental side of tennis but does not feel that the Huskies were thrown off their game.
"I don't know if getting in their heads had anything to do with it," he said. "I felt that all four of those singles matches were good matches. Maybe being at home helped us a little bit."
Ball State will need to be mentally and physically ready as it plays three matches in the next five days, starting today at Butler. The Cardinals are in third in the Mid-American Conference with a crucial home match Saturday against defending MAC Tournament champions Western Michigan.
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