On the road again for its last non-conference match, Ball State men’s tennis (13-8) will square off against No. 28 Notre Dame. Since the victory over IUPUI, freshman Bryce Bonin said he has focused on his forehand, conditioning and resting for this match.
“Notre Dame is a great team; we know that going in,” Bonin said. “Coach wants us to be 100 percent with our bodies and take care of ourselves and be ready for the weekend.”
In singles play, Bonin has won 13 singles matches and is 10-4 at No. 6 singles position. But for Bonin, it’s not about himself.
“It’s all just to help the team,” Bonin said. “I don’t really focus on myself. I just want what’s best for our team.”
Another Cardinal that has played like a wrecking ball on the court is junior Conner Andersen. Andersen and doubles partner junior Marko Guzina are 8-7 in dual matches and at No. 2 doubles position. Andersen said they have played great together.
“The doubles point is very important to get off to a hot start,” Andersen said. “This is my junior year, and it's one of our better years, as far as winning the doubles point go. It’s very promising for next season.”
The Cardinals need to be on their A-game against the 28th-ranked Fighting Irish (13-11). Notre Dame started the season out with a perfect 7-0 record. However, the Irish have recently cooled down despite having won their last two matches against Duke and Miami. Head coach Bill Richards said he’s looking at the match more from the singles matches.
“Notre Dame certainly will be the best team on our schedule,” Richards said. “Obviously, you look forward to those matches because your guys want to play very good players, and it’s great to see how you stack up against one of the best teams in the nation.”
One of the players to look for on the Fighting Irish squad is junior Grayson Broadus. Broadus is 11-5 in dual matches and 9-4 at No. 6 singles position. A pair to watch out for is freshman Richard Ciamarra and sophomore Matt Gamble. The pair is 4-4 at No. 2 doubles position.
The match begins at 5 p.m. on April 15 at Courtney Tennis Center in South Bend, Indiana.
Contact Patrick Murphy with comments at prmurphy2@bsu.edu or on Twitter@PMURPH505.
Read More
Cardinals survive five-set marathon against Central Michigan, advance to MAC Championship Final
By Daniel Kehn / 19 minutes agoBall State advances to the MAC Championship with a five-set marathon victory over Central Michigan
Ball State women’s basketball falls to No. 16 UNC in the Battle 4 Atlantis
By Elijah Poe / 1 hours ago“I'm really glad that I was able to come back in time to play because we're not going to get this moment back,” senior Madelyn Bischoff said about the 63-52 loss to No. 16 North Carolina. “Even though we didn't win, I do think that this is really going to help us in the long run.”
3 takeaways from Ball State’s loss against UNC in the Battle 4 Atlantis
By Logan Connor / 2 hours agoBall State women’s basketball dropped its first contest of the season to UNC. Here are three takeaways from the 63-52 loss.
