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Western Michigan University
Women’s Tennis Loses 4-3 Heartbreaker at Western Michigan
March 29, 2026 | Women's Tennis
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Ball State women's tennis team (8-7, 1-3 MAC) fell on the road Sunday afternoon in Mid-American Conference action to Western Michigan (11-5, 2-1 MAC) at the West Hills Athletic Club.
The Broncos gained an early advantage by sweeping courts two and three to secure the doubles point. While Ball State's top duo, Sarah Shahbaz and Isabel Tanjuatco, left their match unfinished at a 4-4 deadlock to preserve their strong season record, Western Michigan carried the 1-0 lead into singles play.
Coming off a dominant 5-2 win at Bowling Green, the Cardinals refused to go down without a fight. Although WMU initially extended their lead to 2-0 with a victory at No. 5 singles, Ball State's Gabriella Barrera put BSU on the board with a straight-set win over Julia Frazier at the No. 6 spot.
The match then transformed into a high-stakes battle as the four remaining courts pushed into third sets. At the top position, Alana Bristow evened the overall score at 2-2 by grinding out a 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 victory over Lola Glantz. The teams continued to trade blows; the Broncos reclaimed the lead with a win at No. 2, only for Asia Fontana to fight back for a win at No. 4, knotting the match at 3-3.
The outcome rested on a marathon battle at No. 3 singles. In a grueling three-set thriller that featured two tiebreakers, Tanjuatco narrowly fell to Frida Weijerman 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (7), clinching the team victory for Western Michigan.
Ball State returns home this Friday for a noon start. Depending on the weather, the match will be held at the Foster Adams Family Tennis Center/Bill Richards Tennis Courts or moved indoors to First Serve Muncie.
Players Mentioned
