Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Eastern Illinois University
Men's Tennis Opens 2022 Season At Home This Weekend
January 20, 2022 | Men's Tennis
The Cardinals host Eastern Illinois (Friday) and Cleveland State (Sunday)
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's tennis team opens its 2022 spring season at home this weekend with a match against Eastern Illinois on Friday, Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. ET before closing the weekend against Cleveland State on Sunday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. ET. Both matches will be played indoors at the Muncie Northwest YMCA Tennis Center.
Ball State finished the 2021 season in the year-end Oracle ITA national rankings checking in at No. 58 and was one of three Mid-American Conference programs in the top 60 in an impressive year for the league. Western Michigan was No. 44, while Northern Illinois was No. 60.
The Cardinals finished the 2021 season at 17-5 overall and 6-4 in conference play. Ball State won 10 consecutive matches at one point, including a victory over a Notre Dame team that ended the year at No. 33 in the rankings.
The Cardinals return eight players (seven upperclassmen) from last year's squad: graduate student Chris Adams, seniors Thibault De Negri and Danilo Kovacevic and juniors Eli Herran, Vince Orlando, Parrish Simmons and Abe Wojtalik.
Additionally, sophomore Sajin Smith, who led the Cardinals in singles action as a true freshman with an 18-4 overall mark and an 8-2 MAC ledger, will also be a part of this year's lineup.
The Cardinals also welcome two newcomers: Petar Petrovic and Nathaniel Webster.
Longtime coach Bill Richards continues to be at the helm of the Cardinals this season. Richards is the winningest men's tennis coach in Ball State and Mid-American Conference history. He has amassed a 722-439 (.621) overall record and a 223-68 (.766) conference ledger for his career. Richards has coached 17 teams to undefeated regular seasons and 38 MAC regular and/ or tournament championships, with the first conference title coming in 1984. Richards has also garnered MAC Coach of the Year accolades 15 times and has made eight NCAA tournament appearances.
For the most up-to-date news on the Ball State men's tennis team, please follow @BallStateSports and @BallStateMTNS.
Players Mentioned
