Recap courtesy of Ball State's Athletic Communications Department
Box Score
CINCINNATI, Ohio – In a high-stakes mid-week battle at the Western Athletic Club, the Ball State women's tennis team (4-2) secured a gritty 4-3 comeback victory over the University of Cincinnati (4-2) on Wednesday afternoon.
The match came down to a dramatic three-set finale at the No. 5 singles position, where senior
Asia Ting Fontana delivered the deciding point to seal the win for the Cardinals.
"Great win today," Ball State head women's tennis coach
Sachin Kirtane said. "I'm so proud of the team. We built tremendous momentum by turning that doubles point around, and then showed real grit in singles. Priyanka and Asia did a fantastic job battling back after losing their first sets, and Izzy was excellent as well. Overall, every Cardinal competed and contributed to this victory. Beating a powerful team like Cincinnati on their home courts is a huge win. I'm proud of how we stuck together, believed in each other, and executed the game plan. We're excited to keep growing and look forward to the next challenge."
The afternoon began with Ball State asserting dominance in doubles play to take an early 1-0 lead. The Cardinals secured the doubles point with critical victories on courts No. 1 and No. 3. BSU's top-seeded doubles tandem of
Sarah Shahbaz and
Isabel Tanjuatco improved their spring season record to 5-0 following a dominant 6-0 shutout victory over Cincinnati's No. 1 pair, Rozalia Gruszczynska and Anastasia Arsic. This win continued a streak of high-level play for the duo. Ball State's depth across the other positions proved decisive in the opening point for the Cardinals.
After Ball State secured the initial doubles point, the match slipped into a tense back-and-forth battle as Cincinnati claimed three singles wins. Competing at the No. 3 singles position,
Priyanka Rana faced off against Cincinnati's Sakurako Watanabe. Despite dropping the first set 3-6, Rana mounted a resilient comeback, taking the second set 7-5 and outlasting Watanabe 6-3 in the third to secure the crucial third point for the Cardinals.
Facing immense pressure with the team match on the line, Fontana outlasted her opponent in a grueling three-set thriller to secure the fourth and deciding point for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals look to carry this momentum as they continue their road swing at Purdue University on Friday, Feb. 20, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
