The final day of the Ball State Fall Invitational was the Matt Baccarani and Epkey brothers show for the Cardinals' men's tennis team. For the second year in a row, the Cardinals won the top flight of singles and doubles of their home invite.
No. 79 Baccarani, the defending Flight A champ dominated the top flight, dropping only one set to Illinois State's Luka Marinkovic and defeated Western Michigan's Jose Orozco in the finals 7-5, 6-0 to take the top flight for the second year in a row.
"All those players in the top flight are good players," coach Bill Richards said. "I think it's a great accomplishment. I think, in a lot of those matches, Matt was expected to win, being the defending champion and nationally ranked. And, at least in the past, he has had a little trouble in those kind of games.
"But he just came out and, as we always say, took care of business."
No. 87 Orozco is the Broncos' top player. It was Orozco whom Matt Laramore defeated in a pivotal third set in the Mid-American Conference to claim the tournament crown last season.
The Cardinals also shined in doubles, wrapping up the title for the top flight before the final round of play. It was an all-Ball State final as Tony and Jarrod Epkey took on Baccarani and Joe Epkey.
Tony and Jarrod Epkey took the title with an 8-5 win over Joe Epkey and Baccarani.
"I know me and Tony connect real well together, but its more of coach thinking who he wants me to play with," Jarrod Epkey said. "There's different levels of Divison I tennis; there was no one in there that we really shouldn't have beat."
"It's a step proving we can play together."
It was the first Division I tournament for Jarrod and Joe, who transferred from Southern Indiana to Ball State this season. Their brother, Tony, joined the team the previous year after sitting a season out.
"[The Epkeys] are going to be a fun group to work with," Richards said. "They're just hard-nosed, blue-collared guys who come to work every day."
Jan Palhamous advanced to the Flight B finals before losing to Djordje Uskokovic, who Richards said was Illinois State's top player in the finals.
All three Epkeys and Patrick Thompson also played in the top flight of singles for the Cardinals, in addition to Baccarani. Thompson fell to Western Michigan's Brady Crosby, who lost in the semifinals to Baccarani, while Jarrod Epkey fell to Orozco.
"It was kind of a two-team tournament with us and Western," Richards said. "They had the upper hand in singles, we had it in doubles. It's going to be another tough battle."
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