Ball State University's men's tennis team's rough season ended on a high note as the Cardinals scored a 6-1 win over Northern Illinois University Saturday, coach Bill Richards said.
The Cardinals scored the win without junior Aaron Phillips, who usually plays in the second singles spot. Phillips injured his ankle in Wednesday's match against IPFW.
"Both players that filled in for Aaron did a real good job," coach Bill Richards said. "In singles everyone had to move up a spot with Aaron out, and those guys did a good job."
Ball State came out to an early 1-0 lead when they won the doubles point by winning all three doubles matches.
In singles Bret Berryman, Joe Vallee, Joe Epkey and Tetta Oyama all won in straight sets while Jose Perdomo, who had moved up to the No. 2 spot, took a super tie breaker to defeat Alex Friesen.
Jarrod Epkey was the only Cardinal to lose in the match, falling 6-3, 6-2 to Adam Ford.
The match was the final regular season contest for the Cardinals (10-13, 4-1 in the Mid-American Conference) and closed the MAC season. Ball State was able to secure the second seed in the tournament.
Ball State will travel to Fort Wayne next weekend to play in the MAC Tournament. It is unknown if Phillips will be ready to play by then.
"I think mentally and emotionally we're very ready and eager," Richards said. "I think everyone knows we're more than capable of winning the tournament. But it's one match at a time and we've got to win that semifinal match."
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