Aside from finding success in two doubles matches, the Ball State men's tennis team was no match for fifth-ranked Illinois on Saturday.
The Cardinal's tandem of Matt Baccardani and Patrick Thompson, ranked 56th nationally, overtook fourth-ranked Ryler DeHeart and GD Jones in No.1 doubles, 9-8 (6). The Cardinals also took the No. 3 doubles match when Klint Knable and Paul Newman defeated Evan Zeder and Ruben Gonzales.
Both Cardinals teams came from behind to post the lone wins of the match for the Cardinals.
The two wins would be the only successes Ball State would have against the 2003 national champions.
Despite claiming the doubles point, the Cardinals couldn't win any singles matches. Three of the Fighting Illini's singles players are nationally ranked, including second-ranked DeHearth, who defeated Baccarani, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2. Baccarani won in a hard-fought first set, but DeHearth recovered and cruised in the second and third.
Jones, ranked 42nd in the nation, defeated Ball State's Matt Laramore, 6-3, 6-3 in No. 2 singles, and No. 118 Pramod Dabir easily defeated Tony Epkey, 6-2-6-0, in singles action.
Jan Polhamus, who earlier defeated teammate Patrick Thompson in a challenge match to determine who would play against the Fighting Illini in the No. 6 singles, gave a valiant effort in losing to Illinois's Monte Tucker, 7-6 (6), 6-4.
Illinois had returned earlier in the week from the Puerto Rico Invitational. While there, the Illini played 17th-ranked Texas Christian, 28th-ranked California and 35th-ranked Georgia Tech.
With the win, the Illini have now won nine straight matches against the Cardinals.
Ball State will continue to play nationally ranked teams this week when they travel to No. 40 Northwestern on Friday.
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