History repeats itself today as the NIU men’s tennis team will take on Ball Sate in the MAC championship semifinal for the second straight year.

The No. 4 seed Huskies (13-9) secured a 4-1 victory Thursday over No. 5 seed Toledo (8-14) to set up the rematch with No. 1 seed Ball State.

NIU got out to a fast start in doubles with an 8-3 victory by senior Erick Martinez and freshman Alex Friesen at No. 2. But after Toledo struck back with an 8-6 win at No. 3, senior Willy Gali and freshman Mark Tate took the doubles point for NIU with a 9-8 triumph at No. 1.

Despite the windy and cold conditions outside, the Huskies cruised in singles play with straight-set wins by Gali, Tate and Friesen.

“I think we played well as a team,” said Friesen, who clinched the match with a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles. “You just have to focus and ignore the elements because you can’t control them.”

Adding to tomorrow’s intrigue is the subplot of last year’s MAC championship.

After dropping a 4-3 decision at home to Ball State during last year’s regular season, NIU struck back in the MAC semifinal with a 4-3 win of its own. The victory marked NIU’s first defeat of Ball State in 30 years.

This year, the roles remained the same as the Cardinals (18-8) defeated the Huskies 5-2 at Ball State last Saturday. But NIU coach Pontus Hiort is hoping for a repeat of last year’s results.

“We’re going to have to be even better [today],” Hiort said. “Ball State is very confident and they’ve had a good season. The doubles point will be crucial to grab momentum, and if we get a quick start in singles, it’ll get them scared. “

First serve is set for 10 a.m. today for the NIU-Ball State match at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo. The MAC final will commence at 1 p.m. Saturday as the winner will take on No. 2 seed Western Michigan or No. 3 seed Buffalo.