It has been two weeks since the Ball State men's tennis team has played an opponent.
Ball State coach Bill Richards said that hasn't changed the team's daily routine.
"Same old, same old," he said. "We just go to work every day and try to get better."
The Cardinals will get a chance to see what improvements they've made this weekend when they play in the 2012 Boise State Spring Break Classic in Boise, Idaho.
Ball State's first opponent on Friday, Boise State, is ranked No. 42 in the ITA rankings. UAB is another opponent Ball State may have problems with in the later rounds. They are No. 73 in the ITA rankings, and like Boise State, are an unfamiliar opponent to Ball State.
"Every team here has excellent players," Richards said. "So every match we play, win or lose is going to be a difficult match from a talent standpoint."
The different atmosphere in Boise may also play a huge factor in Ball State's success this weekend.
Junior Dalton Albertin, however, said he doesn't see it being a problem.
"The conditions and the altitude are a little bit different," he said. "So the ball travels a little bit not like we're used to. But as we begin tomorrow, I don't think it's going to play a big role. Las Vegas was a little like this with the altitude, so we have a little bit of experience with it."
After making good progress over the past several weeks, senior Andres Monroy did not travel with the team this weekend.
"Unfortunately, Monroy is not really progressing the way we hoped he would," Richards said. "So he didn't make the trip. He is getting closer to where we want him to be, but he's not there yet."
As for keys to success this weekend, Albertin said the team needs to have a good attitude.
"All these teams are really good," he said. "It's a really good opportunity for us to get back in the rankings if we do play well, and it's just good to play good teams like this. Mid-American Conference play is coming up, so everybody needs to really step up another notch and another step up in intensity."
Ball State will begin play against Boise State at 10 a.m. at the Appleton Tennis Center.
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