Ball State University Athletics
Sunday, March 22
Muncie, Ind.
11 am
Ball State University
3
vs
4
University of Massachusetts
Cardinals Fall to Minutewomen in Hard-Fought MAC Battle
March 22, 2026 | Women's Tennis
MUNCIE, Ind. — The Ball State women's tennis team (7-6, 0-2 MAC) dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to the University of Massachusetts (12-3, 4-0 MAC) on Sunday afternoon at the Foster Adams Tennis Complex and Bill Richards Tennis Courts.
Ball State opened their match against UMass with a battle for the doubles point. The Cardinals' No. 3 duo, Sydney Hrehor and Asia Fontana, dominated their set 6–1 to give BSU the early edge. Tension rose as the top two courts remained neck-and-neck; though UMass fought back to level the score at No. 2, Ball State's No. 1 tandem, Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shahbaz, held their serve on a 40–30 match point to clinch the opening point for the Cardinals.
UMass mounted an early comeback in singles play, taking courts two, three, and one despite a hard-fought effort from the Cardinals. While Alana Bristow and Tanjuatco both battled through intense second-set tiebreakers, the Minutewomen ultimately secured a 3-1 lead. With only three courts remaining and the first sets already lost, the Cardinals faced a must-win situation, needing to push every remaining match into extra sets to stay alive.
On court No. 5, Jemima Williams-Phillips battled through a high-stakes second-set tiebreaker to force a third frame. However, she ultimately fell to Madara Markevica 7-5, 7-6 (0), clinching the decisive fourth point and the match victory for the Minutewomen.
Despite the overall loss, the Cardinals secured two points through gritty individual performances. At the No. 6 position, Gabriella Barrera defeated Renata Farima in a grueling three-set match, while Fontana earned a hard-fought victory in a three-frame thriller against UMass's No. 4 singles player, Chang Ao.
The Ball State women's tennis team continues Mid-American Conference play this Friday at Bowling Green, with the match scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Ball State opened their match against UMass with a battle for the doubles point. The Cardinals' No. 3 duo, Sydney Hrehor and Asia Fontana, dominated their set 6–1 to give BSU the early edge. Tension rose as the top two courts remained neck-and-neck; though UMass fought back to level the score at No. 2, Ball State's No. 1 tandem, Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shahbaz, held their serve on a 40–30 match point to clinch the opening point for the Cardinals.
UMass mounted an early comeback in singles play, taking courts two, three, and one despite a hard-fought effort from the Cardinals. While Alana Bristow and Tanjuatco both battled through intense second-set tiebreakers, the Minutewomen ultimately secured a 3-1 lead. With only three courts remaining and the first sets already lost, the Cardinals faced a must-win situation, needing to push every remaining match into extra sets to stay alive.
On court No. 5, Jemima Williams-Phillips battled through a high-stakes second-set tiebreaker to force a third frame. However, she ultimately fell to Madara Markevica 7-5, 7-6 (0), clinching the decisive fourth point and the match victory for the Minutewomen.
Despite the overall loss, the Cardinals secured two points through gritty individual performances. At the No. 6 position, Gabriella Barrera defeated Renata Farima in a grueling three-set match, while Fontana earned a hard-fought victory in a three-frame thriller against UMass's No. 4 singles player, Chang Ao.
The Ball State women's tennis team continues Mid-American Conference play this Friday at Bowling Green, with the match scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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