Ball State University Athletics
Ball State University
Northern Illinois University
Broc Fletcher Clinches Gritty Three-Set Win to Topple NIU
March 14, 2026 | Men's Tennis
MUNCIE, Ind. - The Ball State men's tennis team (8-7, 3-1 MAC) continued its resilient run in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play Saturday, securing a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Northern Illinois University (11-4, 2-1 MAC) at the First Serve Tennis Courts. The win marks the second consecutive 4-3 decision for the Cardinals, following a similarly gritty performance against UIC earlier this week.
The Cardinals fell behind early, dropping the doubles point after the Huskies secured wins on courts one and three. At the time the point was clinched, Broc Fletcher and Jacks Lancaster held a 4-3 lead at the No. 2 spot over Chiao Bo Duo Nan and Iker Dellien.
Ball State's singles play opened with a burst of momentum as the Cardinals claimed four opening sets against Northern Illinois. Although the Huskies extended their lead to 2-1 with a victory at No. 2 singles, Zackary Kimelman put Ball State on the board. His gritty, straight-set win at the No. 5 spot earned the Cardinals their first point of the match.
Drew Hayward leveled the match at 2-2 after a gritty performance against NIU's Lorenzo Leti. Battling for every point, Hayward secured the victory at No. 3 singles with a 7-5, 6-4 straight-set win. After that, the Huskies took back a slight 3-2 edge with a win at the No. 4 slot.
The match came down to the final two courts, both of which went to three sets. Lancaster secured the win on the top court, overcoming a 3-4 deficit in the decider to defeat Iker Arrastia Gaztambide, 6-4.
With the match deadlocked at 3-3, everything came down to Fletcher on Court 6. Despite trailing 4-3 in the final set, Fletcher dug deep against NIU's Pratyaksh LNU, rattling off three straight games to win 6-4 and clinch the victory for the Cardinals.
The Ball State men's tennis team will remain home to face conference rival Western Michigan Friday, March 20 at 1 pm ET. The game is scheduled to be played at the Foster Adams Tennis Complex and Bill Richards Tennis Courts, weather permitting.
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