As the Cardinals picked up their 14th victory of the season, head coach Max Norris was making history.
Norris picked up his 100th career victory Friday afternoon as Ball State Women's Tennis swept the defending Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament champions Buffalo 7-0.
“We know Buffalo is a tremendous program and we know that they’re going to compete,” Norris said.
All but one singles match finished in sweeps, with senior Isabelle Dohanics winning in three.
“Max has done so much for me and the program has done so much for me," Dohanics said. "Being able to be a part of it and help him get there is just part of my job.”
Senior Audrey Berger and the rest of her senior class have been a part of 67 of Norris' 100 wins.
“He has taught me so much about what it truly means to be a competitor and teammate," Berger said. "In my four years here, there’s no other coach I’d rather be working and competing for,”
Senior Peyton Gollhofer fought for a 6-4 first set victory, before rolling to a 6-0 second set win in her singles match.
“As a senior, it’s almost like icing on the cake to watch him get his 100th win,” Gollhofer said. “His belief in myself and the team is a large part of why he has 100 and why he will get 100 more in no time.
Senior Sarah Swiderski earned a tough win at the 3rd position by a score of 6-3, 7-6.
“It means a lot,” Swiderski said. “Max has done a lot for us and this program, so I’m happy to be able to contribute and give back to him.
In other singles action, junior Rebecca Herrington, sophomore Victoria Sec and Berger all earned wins in their respective matches. Doubles saw the teams of Berger/Herrington and Dohanics/Goffhofer win.
Coach Norris contributes his success to all of the help he has had through his six years as coach.
“We’ve had so many good players here through the years and so many players who compete well,” Norris said. “We’ve had a lot of good assistant coaches in Carmen (Blanco), Viktor (Maksimchuck), and Tessa (Lyons.) I also want to thank Bill Schull and Karin Lee who hired me.”
Norris has no plans of stopping at 100 as Ball State faces Northern Illinois and Akron before the MAC Championship to wrap up the season.
“I’m really proud of what our team has done," Norris said. "It means a lot when you can see some rewards and we’re just excited to get win 101."
Contact Evan Weaver with any comments at erweaver@bsu.edu or on Twitter @evan_weaver7
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