Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
ITA Ohio Valley Regional
Ball State Men’s Tennis Wraps Up Play at ITA Ohio Valley Regionals
October 11, 2026 | Men's Tennis
COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. — The Ball State men's tennis team continued its autumn campaign this past weekend, competing in the prestigious Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) DI Men's Ohio Valley Regional at the Farm & Forge Club.
Second-year head coach Gene Orlando acknowledged the tough road his young squad faced against the region's top tier competition, while highlighting the clear strides the team is making.
"It was a challenging weekend for us," Orlando said. "As a young team, we went up against some very strong regional opponents. While the final results weren't exactly what we were looking for, the squad is showing continuous improvement."
Singles Action
The Cardinals battled through several highly competitive, down-to-the-wire matches. During Thursday's qualifying round of 64, Drew Hayward pushed Eduardo Andreta De Benedictis to the absolute limit in a grueling three-set thriller, ultimately falling just short (7-5, 2-6, 5-7). Jeremy Millette also took the court on Thursday, dropping his match to Austin Peay's Loga Tomovski (6-1, 6-1). On Friday, Andrei Caragea represented the Cardinals in the singles main draw. Caragea mounted a fierce fight against Belmont's Cagan Efe Tufecki, taking the opening set before eventually dropping a tight three-set battle (7-5, 4-6, 2-6).
Doubles Play
Ball State carried that same competitive grit into doubles action. The tandem of Anthony Shalakov and Maksym Ivashko put up a strong fight, taking five games from Louisville's Russell Lokko and Jerald Carroll. Meanwhile, Nolan and Drew Hayward secured three games in their pro-set against Vanderbilt. The day's closest doubles match came from Caragea and Drew Hayward, who nearly upset Louisville's Hamza El Amine and Lucas Bazin, falling just short in a dramatic tiebreaker, 8-7 (7-4).
Up Next
The Cardinals will take the upcoming weekend off to regroup and prepare to host the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Indoor Championships. The tournament kicks off on Friday, October 23, in Muncie, Indiana.
