KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The No. 1-seeded Western Michigan men's tennis team begins its journey for the 12th Mid-American Conference Tournament championship in school history this Friday, April 27. The Broncos face No. 4 Ball State at 10 a.m. in Buffalo, N.Y. for the conference semifinals.

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The Broncos went 20-4 overall and 7-0 in the MAC to claim the 24th regular season title in program history and are coming into the tournament as winners of their last nine matches. Last time out the Brown & Gold swept Toledo this past Saturday to notch their 20th victory, becoming just one of 15 teams in the NCAA Division I to own 20 or more victories this season. The 20-win season is also the fifth time under head coach Dave Morin and the tenth time in program history.

Western Michigan, who has been in the title match the last three seasons and won the 2016 tournament, is looking for redemption after last year's heartbreaking 4-3 championship match loss to Buffalo in Kalamazoo.

Ball State enters Friday's semifinals at 14-10 overall and 3-4 in the MAC. The Cardinals, who have lost five of their last seven, are coming off a 5-2 loss against Buffalo. Back on April 7, the Broncos demolished Ball State 7-0 in Kalamazoo on Senior Day to conclude the home season at 11-0. The Cardinals also look for redemption after last year's 4-2 semifinal loss to Western Michigan at the Sorensen Courts.

In singles play, four different Broncos have notched 25+ wins overall this season as junior Matej Svjetlicic leads the way with an incredible 29-7 overall record, 22-2 dual-match record and a perfect 7-0 MAC record. Both Maik Steiner and Jannik Opitz are 28-9 overall and 7-0 in the conference. Steiner has been the No. 1 player for WMU all season as he is 15-5 overall while Opitz has won his last 10 matches. Junior Lenhard Haupt is the final Bronco at 25-11 overall and dropped just one match all conference season to finish his first year with the Brown & Gold after transferring from USC Upstate.

The duo of juniors Eric Olivarez and Nick Schnobel will look to lead the Broncos in doubles play this weekend as they have been the dominate doubles team for WMU this season. The two are 18-7 overall with a perfect 6-0 MAC record together, finishing on a three-match winning streak.

If the Broncos win on Friday over the Cardinals, they will face the winner of No. 2 Buffalo and No. 3 Northern Illinois on Saturday, April 28 at 1 p.m. for the MAC Tournament Championship. Admission to the tournament is free of charge.