Ball State University Athletics
Old Rivals Meet Again As Men?s Tennis Hosts Western Michigan on Saturday
April 11, 2007 | Men's Tennis
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State University men's tennis team (8-11, 2-0 MAC) will face Mid-American Conference rival No. 50 Western Michigan (14-7, 3-0 MAC) on Saturday, April 14 at the Cardinal Creek Tennis Center weather permitting. The match will be played at the Muncie YMCA Tennis Center if inclement weather were to occur. The match will begin at 1 p.m.
Ball State has 19 MAC titles under its belt. The legacy began in 1984 after the Cardinals posted a 19-5 overall record and an 8-0 stint in league play. BSU has recorded 16 undefeated MAC seasons. Ball State has participated in the MAC for the last 31 years, claiming 34 regular season and/ or tournament championships. Since the MAC tournament format started in 1997, the Cardinals have won the league tournament five times (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005) and Western Michigan has won the conference tournament four times (1999, 2001, 2004, 2006).
Both teams are undefeated in league play as BSU has knocked off Buffalo and Toledo, winning both of its matches by a score of 5-2. Western Michigan is also undefeated in conference action after posting 7-0 wins over IPFW and Northern Illinois, followed by a 5-2 victory against Buffalo.
A final rivalry side note to the story is head coach Bill Richards, who is in his 35th season as a Cardinal was a 1970 graduate of Western Michigan. Richards was a three-year letterwinner for the Broncos and a MAC Champion in both singles and doubles.
