Thursday Men’s Tennis Results
Ball State 4, UIC 3
Western Michigan 5, Northern Illinois 2
Recaps courtesy of Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State Gets the Road Win Over UIC | Box Score
CHICAGO, Ill. — The Ball State men's tennis team (10-10, 5-4 MAC) secured a hard-fought road victory against the UIC Flames (6-13, 0-9 MAC) on Thursday afternoon, fueled by a dominant doubles performance and a resilient singles showing from senior
Jacks Lancaster.
"It was a battle from start to finish, and I'm incredibly proud of how our guys stayed composed in a hostile environment," Ball State head men's tennis coach
Gene Orlando said. "Beating a tough UIC team on their Senior Day is never easy, but we executed when it mattered most. Winning the doubles point set the tone, and seeing our players fight through those tight singles matches shows the growth and grit of this group. It's a great momentum builder as we head into the final stretch of the season."
Ball State ignited its momentum early at the XS Tennis Village, seizing the doubles point with a dominant display on the top courts. The senior pairing of
Jacks Lancaster and
Broc Fletcher delivered a clinical performance at No. 1 doubles to lock in the early 1-0 advantage. This clinching win followed a strong opening effort from brothers Drew and
Nolan Hayward, who put the Cardinals in a position of strength by being the first off the court with a 6-3 victory over UIC's Artem Aleskeychuk and Victor Sklenka at the No. 2 spot.
As the match moved into singles play, the battle intensified. UIC fought back to keep the team score tight, but Lancaster proved to be the difference-maker once again. Competing at the No. 1 singles position, Lancaster engaged in a "heated battle" that tested his endurance and composure. True to his reputation for resilience, he came through in the clutch to secure a vital victory, marking his second major contribution of the day.
In addition to Lancaster's success,
Andrei Caragea dominated at the No. 2 position with a straight-sets win, while Fletcher mirrored that efficiency with a straight-sets victory of his own at the No. 6 slot.
With the win, Ball State continues its push in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play as the regular season draws to a close. The Cardinals will remain on the road for their next conference matchup against Northern Illinois this Saturday, April 11.
Western Michigan Takes Down NIU in Crutial Road Match | Box Score
ROCHELLE, Ill. -- The Western Michigan men's tennis team put itself in position to play for a share of the Mid-American Conference Regular Season Championship after a 5-2 road win against Northern Illinois on Thursday afternoon.
The Broncos (14-9, 7-2 MAC) dropped the doubles point to the Huskies, with the match starting similar to the one in Kalamazoo that saw NIU win 4-3.
Northern Illinois then went up 2-0 after a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 2 by Iker Arrastia over
Alex Antonopoulos. After that... it was all Broncos.
Tim Riedel got WMU on the board with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Chai Bo Suo Nan at No. 5.
Chen-Hui Ho then tied it up at 2-2 with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Federico Scotuzzi at No. 4.
Jack Davison put Western Michigan over the top with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 6 against Iker Dellien to make it 3-2. Sophomore
Oscar Corwin then gave the Broncos the match-winning point with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 3 over Lorenzo Leti Messina. Junior
Ashton Adesoro picked up the fifth and final point shortly after with a 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-7) win against Nikola Puntaric at No. 1.
Western Michigan now heads to UIC to take on the Flames on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
