Rackets smacking tennis balls over the net with velocity. Shoes skidding up and down the court. Men yelling after each serve attempt.
These sounds tells us that, after a four-month absence, men's tennis is finally back at Ball State.
The Ball State men's tennis team starts the 2011-2012 season Friday with the goal to win another Mid-American Conference Title and a trip back to the NCAA Tournament.
With the fall season opening Friday in the 36th annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic at Marquette University, players are excited to finally get back to competition, especially junior Dalton Albertin.
"This will be a good tournament to use as practice in matches," Albertin said. "We're still just getting back in and we haven't had a whole bunch of time to figure out doubles team and stuff. So we'll get out there, mix some things up and see what we can do against some good competition."
Ball State is all too familiar with facing good competition. In 2010, the Cardinals faced a combined five teams ranked in the top 60. One of those teams, No. 4 ranked Ohio State, beat Ball State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament 4-0.
Head coach Bill Richards said despite the Ohio State loss still lingering within the team, the players will be hungry for greater heights this season.
"I think the positives of finishing the year strong, winning the MAC Tournament and playing in the NCAA's [tournament] will be much more of a motivating factor than the possibility of being complacent," he said.
Richards said one of the main focuses in practice thus far is team stamina.
"From a team standpoint, we're really emphasizing strength and conditioning," Richards said. "No excuses for not being in the best possible shape you can be in. You never want conditioning to be a factor in your performance, so that's a big thing we're focusing on this fall."
In addition to stamina, the team has been working on its attitude, toughness and court presence.
"It's kind of a theme this fall where we're trying to take it to another level in terms of not showing negativity on the court, not showing negative body language, and those types of things," he said.
Despite having more of a positive attitude, Ball State still has obstacles to overcome to start the season. Seniors Andres Monroy and Cliff Morrison are injured and not expected to play this weekend.
Monroy is dealing with a hip injury, while Morrison is having complications with both legs. There is no timetable as to when they will return.
Even with the uncertainties involving the health of Monroy and Morrison, Albertin said he has high hopes for the team this season.
"With or without them, I expect some good things from this team," he said. "We're a little bit young, especially if Cliff and Andres aren't able to play, but I definitely think everybody on this team is pretty talented. I think this team should be pretty good."
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