Early Doubles Deficit Proves Costly for Cardinals

The Ball State men’s tennis team (4-4) found themselves on the losing end of a 4-3 thriller against in-state rivals IU Indy (3-6) on Friday, despite a gallant singles effort. The match was played at the West Indy Racquet Club.

Doubles Disappointment

The Cardinals started the day on the back foot, losing the doubles point. At the No. 1 spot, the pairing of Jacks Lancaster and Andrei Caragea fell in a tiebreaker to IU Indy’s Konner Gunwall and Brandon Pham. The Jaguars clinched the point on court three, as Eli Mercer and Pumiphat Sukkho defeated Jeremy Milette and Broc Fletcher, also by a 7-6 score.

Singles Resilience

Trailing 1-0, the Cardinals needed four singles wins to secure victory. They battled back, with Lancaster delivering a dominant performance to win 6-3, 6-4 against Gunwall, giving BSU its first point. Zack Kimelman at No. 5 and Fletcher at No. 6 also notched victories, knotting the match at 3-3.

Heartbreaker at No. 2

The match came down to the final court at No. 2, where IU Indy’s Owen Nguyen staged a remarkable comeback from three match points down to clinch the victory for the Jaguars.

Looking Ahead

The Ball State men’s tennis team continues non-conference play when it travels to Big Ten foe Michigan on February 21 at 11 am ET in Ann Arbor.

Did you know?

• Jacks Lancaster maintains an impressive 6-3 record in singles this season.
• IU Indy’s Owen Nguyen’s late rally denied the Cardinals a winning streak.

FAQs

Pro Tip

“Jacks Lancaster shared, “We need to continue to fight and believe in ourselves, especially in tight situations.””

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