Ball State University
University at Buffalo
Men's Tennis Drops Road Contest to MAC-Leading Buffalo
March 29, 2025 | Men's Tennis
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ball State men's tennis' comeback bid fell short against Buffalo Saturday afternoon in Western New York, as the Cardinals dropped the contest against the Mid-American Conference leader by a 4-3 decision. The red and white moved to 10-8 (3-4 MAC) on the campaign, while the Bulls pushed their season mark to 13-5 (6-1 MAC).
Buffalo quickly rocketed off to a 1-0 start to begin the Saturday-afternoon conference battle on its home courts, with the Bulls clinching the doubles point by securing wins on courts one and three. Ball State did not concede the opening score without a fight, however, as its No. 2 doubles pairing of Ian Brady and Mason Tran cruised to a 6-2 victory.
The home side maintained its momentum into singles play, earning first-set wins on five of the six courts in action. Buffalo converted on its strong start by securing straight-set wins at the No. 4 and 5 slots, which advanced its lead to 3-0.
Despite its deficit, Ball State mounted a valiant comeback in the late stages of singles play. Jacks Lancaster, the lone Cardinal to win a first set, answered Buffalo's push by piecing together a winning performance at No. 2 singles. Shortly after Lancaster's win, Ball State won second sets at No. 1, 3 and 6 singles to advance all three courts into a final and decisive frame.
Though Ball State was in a promising position—down 1-3 with three opportunities to earn points—Buffalo put an end to its comeback. The Bulls secured a three-set win at No. 6 singles to lift them to the four points needed for the team victory.
With the team match already decided, Ball State added wins at No. 1 and No. 3 singles, where Nathaniel Webster and Mason Tran each emerged victoriously in their three-set battles.
Just two more weekends of regular-season tennis are left to be played on Ball State's schedule, and the Cardinals are set to square off on their home courts for the remainder of the campaign. The red and white will host Western Michigan on Friday, April 4, at 1 p.m. in their next outing, before returning for a pair of home matches the following weekend.
Doubles
No. 1: Daniils Snaiders/Cheng Tang (Buffalo) def. Drew Hayward/Jacks Lancaster (Ball State), 6-0
No. 2: Mason Tran/Ian Brady (Ball State) def. Theodoris Mitsakos/Michael Malkin (Buffalo), 6-2
No. 3: Emiliano Jorquera/Faiz Nasyam (Buffalo) vs. Nathaniel Webster/Anthony Shalakov (Ball State), 6-2
Singles
No. 1: Nathaniel Webster (Ball State) def. Theodoris Mitsakos (Buffalo), 4-6, 7-6(5), 10-7
No. 2: Jacks Lancaster (Ball State) def. Cheng Tang (Buffalo), 7-6(4), 6-1
No. 3: Mason Tran (Ball State) def. Clement Mainguy (Buffalo), 3-6, 7-6(5), 3-3 (Mainguy retired)
No. 4: Daniils Snaiders (Buffalo) def. Drew Hayward (Ball State), 6-4, 6-4
No. 5: Faiz Nasyam (Buffalo) def. Ian Brady (Ball State), 6-3, 7-5
No. 6: Emiliano Jorquera (Buffalo) def. Broc Fletcher (Ball State), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3
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Players Mentioned
