After last weekend’s successful break from MAC action, NIU men’s tennis will matchup at home against Ball State before hitting the road to face Marquette.

Ball State (14-7) has lost two of its last three matches and five of its last eight. Before its recent stretch, Ball State reeled off an 11-match winning streak, but a cluster of tough opponents has taken its toll on the Cardinals.

NIU (17-5, 1-0 MAC) last defeated Ball State in 2009 and lost to the Cardinals 7-0 in the regular season and 4-0 in the MAC Tournament last season. Despite its past struggles, NIU’s current squad is much stronger than its recent predecessors and enters the contest with a seven match winning streak. The matchup is one of the most anticipated matches of the season for the Huskies and could say a lot about the current power balance of the conference.

“Ball State and Western Michigan have been the head of the class over the last 10-plus years and Ball State is a capable team,” said NIU coach Patrick Fisher. “They’re going to be good. I think we’ll be ready and this is a great thing for our program. We’ve never been in a situation where we could potentially beat Western Michigan and Ball State in the same year. Our guys are pretty excited about the opportunity to try and do that.”

NIU will follow Ball State with an away match against Marquette.

Marquette (8-12, 0-2 Big East) has been inconsistent this season, losing seven of its last nine affairs. Its most recent loss was to Ball State in a 4-3 decision. Marquette defeated NIU last season, 7-0, but the tides seem to have turned for both programs.

Fisher plans to make adjustments in his lineup in what is one of the toughest weekends of the season for the Huskies.

“We could see some changes,” Fisher said. “At what spots, we’re not sure yet, but we’ll probably have some changes this week. I think everyone is playing well and we’re just going through a couple things right now.”