Ball State Men's Tennis Edged by IU Indy in 4-3 Heartbreaker

Friday, February 13

Indianapolis, IN

1 pm

Ball State University

IU Indy

Photo by: Bobby Ellis (Ball State Creative Services)

Ball State Men's Tennis Edged by IU Indy in 4-3 Heartbreaker

February 13, 2026 | Men's Tennis

Final Results

INDIANAPOLIS – Despite a resilient effort in singles play, the Ball State men's tennis team (4-4) fell 4-3 to in-state rival IU Indy (3-6) on Friday afternoon at the West Indy Racquet Club. The loss marks the second time in a week the Cardinals have dropped a narrow decision after losing the opening doubles point.

The match began with a tightly contested doubles session. At the No. 1 position, Ball State's Jacks Lancaster and Andrei Caragea battled to a tiebreaker but were ultimately outlasted by IU Indy's Konner Gunwall and Brandon Pham, 7-6. The Jaguars clinched the point on court three as Eli Mercer and Pumiphat Sukkho defeated Ball State's Jeremy Milette and Broc Fletcher also by a 7-6 score.

The early 1-0 deficit forced the Cardinals to chase four singles wins to secure the victory—a challenge they nearly met in a back-and-forth battle.

Jacks Lancaster delivered a dominant performance for the Cardinals, defeating Konner Gunwall in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 to give BSU its first point. Zack Kimelman at slot No. 5 was victorious along with Fletcher who won a three-set thriller at position No. 6 which knotted the match 3-3.

The match came down to the final court at No. 2, where IU Indy's Owen Nguyen rallied from three match points down to clinch the overall victory for the Jaguars.

The Ball State men's tennis team continues non-conference play when it travels to Big Ten foe Michigan on February 21 at 11 am ET in Ann Arbor.