Back and forth, back and forth.
That was the theme of the deciding match between the Ball State University women's tennis team and Morehead State University on Sunday afternoon. After the two teams had tied the score 3-3, it was down to the No. 4 singles match between Ball State's Sarah Hebble and Morehead State's Kayla Tuscany to determine the winner.
But it wasn't meant to be for Ball State. Tuscany edged Hebble for the victory with a score of 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7), handing Ball State its second loss of the season in the process.
Hebble held a 5-2 lead over Tuscany in the final set but was unable to secure the final game needed to win the match. Tuscany fought her way back to take the victory.
While Hebble's match was the tiebreaker between the two teams, junior teammate Katherine Rist was quick to say that she deserved none of the blame.
"It's a team loss," Rist said. "I've been in that situation before, and it's so nerve-racking when you have the whole team watching you. But she just lost last, that's all it is."
The Cardinals (4-2) had an uncharacteristically bad day in their singles matches, going 2-4 on the day as Rist at the No. 6 spot and junior Hayley Hall at No. 1 produced the only wins of the day.
Hall defeated Madelleinne Antero 6-1, 6-3, and Rist defeated Lauren Delaney 6-2, 6-3.
The Cardinals' doubles teams, however, showed improvement after struggling coming into the match. They won all three of their matches to earn the doubles point. Dena Boulieris and Georgina Thompson led the drive with a 8-1 victory at the No. 1 spot.
But in the end, it wasn't enough to overcome the performance by Morehead State. Nevertheless, the team's hasn't lost its confidence.
"We lost today, but we know this was a pretty tough team," Rist said. "Doubles play today was the best we've done all year, so I think that especially can build up our confidence for some of the tougher matches down the road."
Ball State looks to rebound from Sunday's loss when it travels north to take on Chicago State University (1-0) Friday night.
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