Looking to rebound from a loss, the Ball State University men's tennis team dropped its second straight match on Friday to Northwestern University.
Coming off a loss to DePaul University, the Cardinals lost 5-2 to the Wildcats. The loss dropped Ball State to 1-2 on the season, but coach Bill Richards said the Cardinals played fairly well.
"It was pretty disappointing because our team lost, but I think we made a pretty good effort," junior Aaron Philips said.
Philips, the No. 2 single's player, won his singles match 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10) over No. 19 Christian Tempketo. He also won his doubles match with Jorge Rodriguez 8-5.
"He's just a good, solid full-court player, and I'm very pleased with the way he's stepped into that number two spot and is playing at a very high level," Richards said.
Philips is in his first season with Ball State after transferring from Indiana State University. He said he is pleased with the way he has transitioned into the Cardinals' lineup.
"It's giving me a lot of confidence," Philips said. "I had a lot of nerves going into the season. Getting a couple wins under the belt gives me more confidence."
Philips is the first Ball State player to win three singles matches on the season.
Senior Joe Epkey (2-1) lost his first match of the year 6-2, 6-4 Friday. Epkey, the No. 28 player in his region, lost to Northwestern's Willy Lock, the No. 30 ranked player in the region.
"It was just one of those days where things weren't going his way," Richards said of Epkey.
Epkey and his brother, junior Jarrod Epkey, also lost their doubles match 8-5. It is the first loss for the No. 15 ranked duo in the region as they fell to the No. 6 ranked team of Lock and Matt Christian.
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