Ball State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Suffers Heartbreaking Loss in Championship of MAC Tournament
April 29, 2006 | Men's Tennis
To start the afternoon, the 48th-ranked BSU duo of Matt Baccarani and Joe Epkey took a commanding 8-2 victory over Western Michigan's Brady Crosby and Bryan Norville at the top doubles slot. The BSU brother twosome of Tony and Jarrod Epkey tallied an 8-5 win over Jose Orozco and Alex Birchmeier at the No. 2 position. These two verdicts were all Ball State needed to take the initial point and 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
However, the ball bounced in favor of the Broncos in singles play as Tim Bradshaw upset 89th-ranked Baccarani 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 at the No. 1 slot. Birchmeier and Jeff French also came up with wins for Western Michigan at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions, respectively, over BSU's Jarrod Epkey (6-4, 7-5) and Danny Vidal (6-3, 6-4). Joe Epkey posted the only Cardinals' singles win with an easy 6-1, 6-0 decision over Crosby at the No. 2 hole. The final point of the match came at the No. 4 position where Western Michigan's Kevin Hayward recorded a 5-7, 6-4, 2-0 victory over Tony Epkey.
Baccarani and Joe Epkey were named to the 2006 MAC All-Tournament Team for their impressive efforts during the competition. The two join Western Michigan's Jose Orozco and Jeff French, Toledo's Tony Tran plus Northern Illinois' Alex Freisen.
Ball State finishes its 2006 campaign with an 19-7 overall record, while going 5-0 versus league opponents.
#2 Western Michigan 4, #1 Ball State 2
Singles
1. Tim Bradshaw (WMU) def. Matt Baccarani 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
2. Joe Epkey (BSU) def. Brady Crosby 6-1, 6-0
3. Jose Orozco (WMU) def. Tony Epkey 6-4, 5-7, 6-3
4. Kevin Hayward (WMU) led Patrick Thompson 5-7, 6-4, 2-0 (Abandoned)
5. Alex Birchmeier (WMU) def. Jarrod Epkey 6-4, 7-5
6. Jeff French (WMU) def. Danny Vidal 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
1. Baccarani/Joe Epkey (BSU) def. Crosby/Bryan Norville 8-2
2. Tony Epkey/Jarrod Epkey (BSU) def. Orozco/Birchmeier 8-5
3. French/Bradshaw (WMU) def. Thompson/Joe Vallee 8-5
