Thursday, Men’s Tennis results
Western Michigan 4, Buffalo 3
Ball State 4, Toledo 3
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State Clinches Thriller as Men's Tennis Defeats Toledo | Box Score
MUNCIE, Ind. — In a high-stakes Mid-American Conference battle that came down to the final court, the Ball State men's tennis team secured a gritty 4-3 victory over Toledo on Thursday afternoon at the First Serve Tennis Complex.
The Cardinals (9-8, 4-2 MAC) successfully defended their home courts in a match defined by late-set heroics and a dominant start in doubles play. The win completes a regular-season sweep of the Rockets, following Ball State's 5-2 road victory earlier this month.
Ball State took an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 positions. The Hayward brothers, Nolan and Drew, secured the opening point for the Cardinals in a gritty 7-6 (8-6) tiebreaker.
As singles play began,
Jeremy Milette (No. 4) and
Broc Fletcher (No. 6) picked up crucial victories to extend the Ball State lead. However, the Rockets fought back with wins at the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 5 spots, leveling the match at 3-3.
As the match remained deadlocked until the very end, with the final point decided in a three-set marathon at the No. 2 singles position.
Andrei Caragea proved to be the hero for the Cardinals, battling back to defeat Toledo's Poonthong Komolpisut 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 to clinch the team victory.
The Ball State men's tennis team hosts Buffalo this Saturday at 1 p.m. ET for their final home match of the season. Depending on the weather, the action will take place either at the First Serve Tennis Complex or the Foster Adams Family/Bill Richards courts. Before the first serve, the Cardinals will hold a special ceremony to honor seniors
Broc Fletcher and
Jacks Lancaster.
Western Michigan Battles Bulls to 4-3 Victory | Box Score
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan men's tennis team took down Mid-American Conference leaders Buffalo, 4-3, at Sorensen Courts on Thursday afternoon.
The Broncos (11-9, 4-2 MAC) started off earning the doubles point. UB took the advantage with a win at No. 3, but WMU responded with a 6-4 win by
Alex Antonopoulos and
Oscar Corwin at No. 1 against Theodoris Mistakos and Clement Mainguy.
Ashton Adesoro and
Jack Davison clinched the point shortly after with a 6-4 win at No. 2 over Michael Malkin and Onder Balci.
Buffalo tied it up with a 6-3, 6-3 win by Balci over Antonopoulos at No. 2 and then took a 2-1 lead 6-1, 6-2 win by Faiz Nasyam over Davison at No. 6. The remaining four matches had to be decided in three sets. Corwin tied the match up at 2-2 with a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4 win at No. 4 over Minjae Kim. The Broncos pushed ahead, 3-2, after
Chen-Hui Ho picked up a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 win over Emiliano Jorquera at No. 5. Adesoro then clinched the match victory for the Broncos in a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 1 over Mistakos.
Western Michigan returns to action on Saturday, hosting Toledo at 1 p.m.
