LA JOLLA, Calif. \u2013 Despite taking an early lead, the Ball State men’s tennis team (4-5) suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat to the University of the Pacific (5-4) on Thursday morning to kick off their annual spring break campaign at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“We battled for four hours in a match that went the distance, and while we had our chances, we just couldn’t close it out,” Ball State men’s tennis coach Gene Orlando<\/a> said. “Now, it’s back to the grind; we’re confident these narrow defeats will build the grit we need for conference play.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Shuffling the deck paid off for Ball State in doubles play. Andrei Caragea<\/a> and Nolan Hayward<\/a> clicked instantly on court three, breezing past Nico Rating and Hasith Gummuluru 6-2. Although the Tigers managed to even the score with a win at the No. 2 position, the tandem of Drew Hayward<\/a> and Jacks Lancaster<\/a> slammed the door shut, securing the opening point with a gritty 7-5 victory.<\/p>\n Ball State surged early in singles play, capturing opening sets on four of the six courts. Broc Fletcher<\/a> provided a spark with a straight-sets victory at the No. 6 position, while Pacific countered with a straight-sets win at No. 2.\u00a0<\/p>\n The match ultimately transformed into a marathon, with the remaining four courts pushed to decisive third sets. Caragea secured a hard-fought three-set win at No. 3, but the Tigers narrowly claimed the final points in a contest that truly could have gone either way.<\/p>\n The Cardinals remain in La Jolla for the remainder of the week to compete in the prestigious Pacific Coast Doubles Championship, which runs through Sunday, March 1. Ball State will then conclude its training camp trip with a dual match against Villanova before returning home to begin Mid-American Conference (MAC) play.<\/p>\n Doubles<\/p>\n
Singles<\/p>\n
\n\tDrew Hayward<\/a> and Jacks Lancaster<\/a> (BSU) def. Jonty Giesen<\/a> and Terence Das<\/a> (PAC), 7-5
\n\tNiv Zuckerman<\/a> and Reuben De Klerk<\/a> (PAC) def. Anthony Shalakov<\/a> and Jenson Bicancic (BSU), 6-3
\n\tAndrei Caragea<\/a> and Nolan Hayward<\/a> (BSU) def. Nico Rating<\/a> and Hasith Gummuluru<\/a> (PAC), 6-2
<\/p>\n
\n\tJonty Giesen<\/a> (PAC) def. Jacks Lancaster<\/a> (BSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
\n\tTerence Das<\/a> (PAC) def. Drew Hayward<\/a> (BSU), 6-4, 6-2
\n\tAndrei Caragea<\/a> (BSU) def. Nico Rating<\/a> (PAC), 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
\n\tReuben De Klerk<\/a> (PAC) def. Jeremy Milette<\/a> (BSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
\n\tNiv Zuckerman<\/a> (PAC) def. Zack Kimelman<\/a> (BSU), 3-6, 6-3, 7-6
\n\tBroc Fletcher<\/a> (BSU) def. Hasith Gummuluru<\/a> (PAC), 6-2, 6-1
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