Ball State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Opens Season with Matchup Versus Wright State Today
January 11, 2006 | Men's Tennis
When 34th-year head coach Bill Richards looks into the future of Ball State men's tennis, he anticipates great things to come, including winning a round in the NCAA Tournament. As Richards' goals remain similar from year to year, he continues to strive one step further.
"Our goals start in Mid-American Conference play," Richards says. "That has to be our primary focus. That is who we are and it is important to the university and our alumni to win the regular season championship and to win the conference tournament. We would certainly like to elevate our team to the point where we win a round in the NCAA Tournament. We have been there, but we have not won a match. We are certainly trying to focus more on that component."
The Cardinals saw that opportunity last season after winning their 16th MAC Tournament crown, 18th regular-season conference title and appearing in their sixth NCAA Tournament.
"Competing on a national level, being ranked as high as we can and competing with the Big Ten teams here in our region are also some goals we strive for every year."
The 2005 BSU squad ranked as high as 52nd nationally and ended the season 71st. Additionally, Ball State competed against 14 nationally-ranked teams and defeated four Big Ten opponents in 2005.
Richards hopes the success will continue this year as he returns five letterwinners with a wealth of experience plus welcomes four newcomers to this year's roster.
"It is hard to say what our team's strengths are going to be this year. I think we have a good blend of returning players and new players that bring some new energy and some different attitudes to mix in with the returning players. There is a certain freshness when you have some new players involved. The combination of the new and the old so far has been promising."
Leading the way is senior Matt Baccarani. Baccarani, who has been a mainstay in the BSU lineup for the last three campaigns. He has an overall singles record of 64-48 and an overall doubles mark of 84-33. A 2003, 2004 and 2005 All-MAC First Team selection, Baccarani posted a 20-13 singles tally at the No. 1 position last season and teamed with fellow senior Patrick Thompson for a 30-6 doubles slate. The tandem ranked as high as 15th nationally and also earned an at-large bid into the 2005 NCAA Championships.
"Matt has been a bit of an exception to the rule. This will be his third year playing in the No. 1 position. That does not happen very often. Normally players start out low in the lineup and move their way up and play No. 1 for maybe a year or two at the most. Matt has had a really great career and I think this past fall he took a step to play at a higher level and hopefully will win some of those crucial matches at the position. If he can win at No. 1 consistently against the level of competition we are playing, that is a huge bonus. I think he is ready to take that next step."
Thompson is also back for his senior campaign. He has accumulated a 66-46 singles record and an 82-34 doubles mark. A 2004 and 2005 All-MAC Second Team honoree, Thompson paired with Baccarani for a successful doubles year plus posted a perfect 4-0 singles mark versus conference opponents last season.
"Patrick needs to take it up another level this year. He has always been in our lineup. If he can put it all together as he has shown he can at times, that would be a huge thing for our team."
Rounding out the senior class is Tony Epkey, who comes back for his second year in the Cardinals lineup. He transferred to Ball State after West Virginia dropped its men's tennis program. Epkey has established a 20-24 overall singles record and a 25-25 overall doubles record at BSU.
"It has been frustrating for Tony because he played hurt almost all of last year and has been hurt all fall. He has three different injuries that he just cannot shake. None of them are career-ending type injuries, but they are injuries that have held him from performing even close to his potential. We are hoping he can recover and we are doing everything we can to make that happen in terms of his training. I think that is key for Tony -- to try and get healthy."
Sophomore Jan Polhamus returns for his sophomore season with several collegiate matches under his belt. He tallied a 12-6 singles record in 2005, while registering a 7-4 doubles slate.
"Another returning player that will be a key for us is Jan Polhamus. He has the physical capabilities to be an outstanding player. So far throughout his freshman year and this fall, he has some loose ends within himself that are not allowing him to perform at the level he is capable of. If he can overcome some of those obstables all tennis players face in terms of handling pressure and staying positive, it would be a big key for us this year. He has to show he is trustworthy out on the court and have the right attitude."
Another returning face for the Cardinals this season is Jimmy Brannon, who received a medical redshirt in 2005.
"It has been a frustrating situation for Jimmy, who I really felt was someone who could compete for a lot of playing time lower in the lineup. He was injured all of last season and it is an elbow situation we thought we were making progress with. Unfortunately, it is worse than it has ever been right now, so he is not touching a tennis racket for three months. He will try to start playing again in January. If the injury does not respond, he may have to have surgery and be out for the year. He is an unknown at this point."
Last among the returnees is sophomore Danny Vidal, who may see increased playing time after tallying a 1-3 singles record and a 4-2 doubles mark in 2005.
"Danny has improved considerably and has gotten his game up to a level where he will compete for playing time lower in the lineup. He is motived to be a bigger part of the team this year. He is someone that could be in the mix."
New to the Cardinals squad are Joe and Jarrod Epkey, who join oldest brother Tony at BSU. The junior and sophomore, respectively, bring experience after transferring from the University of Southern Indiana. Joe registered a 4-5 fall singles slate and a combined 7-3 doubles record. Meanwhile, Jarrod teamed with brother Tony to win the Flight A Doubles Championship at the Ball State Fall Invitational and posted a 4-5 singles mark and a 9-3 doubles record.
"The two Epkey brothers that transferred in have come here and asserted themselves as impact players who are clearly in our lineup. If we had to put a lineup together right now, Joe would be No. 2, behind Baccarani, and Jarrod would be anywhere from No. 3 to No. 5 with Thompson and Tony in there as well. They have become very significant and will make a big impact in both singles and doubles."
Joining Joe and Jarrod are two freshmen newcomers -- Joe Valle and Jose Perdomo. Vallee accumulated a 5-3 fall singles mark and a combined 6-5 doubles record, while Perdomo finished the fall campaign with a 2-6 singles tally and a 3-6 doubles ledger.
"Both freshmen have the ability to compete for playing time. It is going to be very competitive for the No. 6 and No. 7 spots. We have a lot of people who are going to fight for those spots to get some significant playing time.
"Joe Vallee has kind of emerged and was playing the sixth spot in doubles when the fall ended. Polhamus, Vidal and Perdomo all have the capabilities to contibrute in doubles as well."
The Cardinals begin their non-conference schedule Jan. 11 when they host Wright State and then begin the quest for their 19th Mid-American Conference Championship April 1 when Buffalo visits Muncie.
"The schedule for us remains pretty similar most years. We are still playing seven Big Ten teams and Notre Dame. We have more away matches this year than we did last year as this is the away rotation in the conference. We will face the toughest MAC teams on the road in Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. Towards the middle of the season, we will have a tough match at UNLV and then the travel to the Boise Tournament, which we had a pretty good showing at last year. The competition is going to be a little tougher this year at Boise. They have some higher-ranked national level teams in the field, who are going to make it a little more difficult.
"With our season starting just two days into spring semester, it puts a tremendous amount of responsibility on our players when they are home over break. Hopefully they will work hard and we will get off to a good start."
