Ball State (3-3) lost 4-0 in its match against No. 19 Michigan State.
“We had a tough matchup,” head coach Bill Richards said. “All in all, I thought we made a good effort. It's always disappointing to lose, but I thought we played at a pretty good level and that's really what we talk about, win or lose, is playing at a level where you give yourself a chance [to succeed].”
Richards mentioned the line-up for this match was a bit different due to sophomore Jacks Lancaster’s illness and grad student Vince Orlando’s injury. It is unclear when either will return.
Richards went on to say that Ball State is still experimenting and evaluating different teams and different individuals.
The Cardinals went down to the deciding 3rd match in doubles play, but ultimately lost the double’s point in a tiebreak.
At No. 1 doubles, juniors Nathaniel Webster and Mason Tran fought hard but unfortunately lost in a tiebreaker 6(5)-7.
At No. 2 doubles, new doubles pairing junior Petar Petrovic and fifth-year Parrish Simmons lost 0-6.
At no. 3 doubles, grad student Eli Herran and redshirt junior Sajin Smith battled for a win of 6-3.
After the loss of the double’s point, the Cardinals struggled to regain their footing.
At No. 2 singles, Tran fell 3-6, 3-6. At No. 3 singles, Smith lost 3-6, 3-6. Sophomore Broc Fletcher was beaten 3-6, 2-6.
At No. 1 singles, Webster had won the first set 6-4 and was down 2-4 in the second before the matches were suspended.
Herran, at No. 4 singles, lost the first set 1-6 and battled his opponent for the second, which led to a tiebreak that was tied at 4-4 before the matches were suspended.
“The biggest thing for me that I've learned throughout the years is, no matter what happens in the first set, you let ‘em know that you're gonna stay there and compete,” said Herran.
At No. 6 singles, freshman Drew Hayward won the first set 6-4 and was tied at 4-4 in the second set when matchplay was suspended.
Looking forward to their next match versus Cleveland State University at home, the Cardinals are ready to take on the Vikings.
“We typically have very close matches with them,” Richards said. “[We’ve] got a little time now to catch our breath and get some good practices to prepare next Saturday, which will be a very good, tough match.”
No. 1 singles player Nathaniel Webster echoed his coach’s sentiments.
“We know it's a big opportunity,” said Webster. “They're a similar team to us skills-wise, so everybody's pretty motivated [to win].”
The Cardinals will be back in action at home against Cleveland State Saturday Feb. 10th.
Contact Lauren Graham via email lauren.graham@bsu.edu.
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