In an out-of-conference showdown against 36th-ranked University of Notre Dame, the Ball State University men's tennis team lost 5-2 in South Bend, Ind.
Eduardo Pavia and Cliff Morrison led the way for the Cardinals (14-8), both winning in straight sets in their singles matches. Pavia defeated 44th-ranked Casey Watt for his third win against a ranked opponent this year.
"Eduardo has had an unbelievable year," coach Bill Richards said. "I don't want to jinx him, but he is doing some special things right now. He knows how to win and is striking the ball well. To beat his opponent in straight sets today is outstanding."
Despite winning No. 1 and No. 2 singles, Ball State was unable to put anything else together to pull off an upset.
For the sixth match in a row, Ball State failed to capture the doubles point to start the match. In their last two matches, the team overcame the early deficit to pull out the win, but against a team like Notre Dame, it was just too much.
Richards said he went with three new doubles teams against the Fighting Irish, and though the team took a small step forward, it will continue to put emphasis on thier overall doubles skill development.
Although the Cardinals will head into their next match against the University at Buffalo on a losing streak, Ball State still has the most important statistic in their favor: a 2-0 record in Mid-American Conference play. Buffalo is also 2-0 in the conference, making this a crucial matchup.
With a pivotal match on Saturday, now is the perfect time to be playing great tennis.
Pavia said even after the tough loss against Notre Dame he can see the team's improvements coming along. From an overall standpoint, he sees more confidence from the guys and on the court everything is looking better and starting to come together.
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