Take a look at MAC men's tennis action this weekend.
Ball State:
Men's Tennis Plays at Carmel Racquet Club Saturday
First Serve: Ball State will face its second Big Ten opponent in a week when it hosts No. 16 Illinois Saturday at the Carmel Racquet Club located in Carmel, Ind. The Cardinals are looking for their first win of the season after suffering a 6-1 loss at Northwestern Sunday with Cliff Morrison earning the lone singles victory for BSU. The Fighting Illini opens spring action in Indiana Saturday as they will face Toledo in Indianapolis at 1 p.m. and then Ball State in Carmel at 6 p.m. Illinois is coming off of a great 2012 dual match season after winning the Big Ten Tournament.
Bill Richards Quote: "This is a great opportunity to showcase our program in the Indianapolis area as it is for Illinois too," said Ball State head men's tennis coach Bill Richards. "We appreciate Ball State tennis alum Mark Woldmoe's efforts in making this happen. Mark is the head pro at the Carmel Racquet Club, site of the match. We anticipate a great crowd and look forward to another opportunity to play against one of the best programs in the nation. Illinois won the Big Ten Tournament in 2012. Our players are excited for this evening."
Series Record: The match against Illinois marks the 26th meeting between Ball State and the Fighting Illini. Illinois leads the all-time series 17-8. Ball State and Illinois have faced each other every season since 2001.
Next Up for the Cardinals: Ball State will host Detroit Mercy Friday, Jan. 25, for its home opener at the Muncie YMCA Tennis Center at 6 p.m. The Cardinals then face Eastern Illinois and Dayton in a double-header at home Jan. 26.
Carmel Racquet Club: For more information on the Carmel Racquet Club and directions please click on the link provided http://www.carmelracquetclub.com/.
Toledo:
Rockets Win Weekend Finale at Butler
Indianapolis, IN - After splitting a pair of matches Saturday to start the season, the Toledo men's tennis team won its second-consecutive match by a score of 4-3 over Butler on Sunday.
The Rockets start the season with a 2-1 record and will travel back to Indianapolis on Saturday for a 1:00 p.m. matchup with No. 16 Illinois.
"We thought this was going to be a competitive match and it surely was," UT head coach Al Wermer said. "After a slow start, the guys dug in and really fought hard. Grant, Nicky, Tomas and Francisco responded really well to complete a nice opening weekend."
Toledo's performance in doubles competition was the slow start Wermer described. UT was swept in doubles, while the No. 2 team consisting of seniors Bryant Dudzik and Terence Weigand did not complete their match. Sophomores Tomas Stillman and Nicky Wong went down by a score of 8-1 to Butler's Austin Woldmore and Billy Weldon. Sophomore Grant Adams teamed up with redshirt freshman Ryan Jorgensen to put up a better fight, but they were defeated 8-5 at the No. 3 spot.
The Rockets regrouped in singles play, as Senior Francisco Stuardo recorded his first-career win as a Rocket. The junior-college transfer defeated Butler's Pulok Bhattacharya in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 2 position.
Stillman, Wong and Adams each recorded their second win of the season to lift UT past the Bulldogs. Stillman claimed the No. 1 match over Woldmoe, 7-6(3). Adams and Wong both earned hard-fought victories in the No. 3 and 4 spots, respectively. Adams defeated Tommy Marx, 7-6(6), 6-3, and Wong had to use a third set to beat Brandon Woods, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Sophomore Roberto Meza and junior Ben Brocker were taken down in the final two matches of singles play.
Doubles
No. 1 Woldmoe/Weldon def. Stillman/Wong 8-1
No. 2 Marx/ Bhattacharya vs. Dudzik/Weigand 6-6 UNFINISHED
No. 3 O'neill/Woods def. Adams/Jorgensen 8-5
Singles
No. 1 Stillman def. Woldmoe 7-6(3), 6-4
No. 2 Stuardo def. Bhattacharya 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 Adams def. Marx 7-6(6), 6-3
No. 4 Wong def. Woods 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 O'neill def. Meza 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 Weldon def. Brocker 7-6(2), 6-1
Toledo: 4
Butler: 3
Western Michigan:
Men's Tennis Hosts Flames on Friday
BRONCOS VS. FLAMES - THE SERIES
This will be the 20th ever meeting between the two teams, with the Broncos holding a 19-0 advantage in the all-time series over the Flames. The teams last met in the 2012 season, with the Broncos shutting out the Flames 7-0 as the second half of a doubleheader at West Hills. The Broncos took all nine matches on the day, including six singles and three doubles matches.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE FALL
There was only one match during the fall season in which a Bronco and a Flame met at a tournament. Aaron Wong defeated UIC's Rahul Kamath 6-0, 6-2 in the qualifying draw of the ITA Midwest Regionals.
RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Junior Nadin Indre picked up right where he left off in 2012, a season in which he won the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year award. Indre went 4-0 last week against Detroit and #41 Northwestern, including wins at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles against the nationally-ranked Wildcats.