Ball State University Athletics
Friday, April 3
Muncie, Ind.
12 pm
Ball State University
6
vs
1
Eastern Michigan University
Cardinals Fly Past Eagles; Fontana Clinches 6-1 Victory for Ball State
April 03, 2026 | Women's Tennis
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State women's tennis team (9-7, 2-3 MAC) secured a dominant 6-1 victory over Eastern Michigan (10-10, 1-4 MAC) Friday afternoon at First Serve Muncie. Senior Asia Fontana delivered the match-clinching point at No. 4 singles to seal the Mid-American Conference win for the Cardinals.
"It feels incredible to get this win for the team, especially in front of our home crowd," said Fontana. "I knew the match was close, so I just focused on staying aggressive and playing my game point by point. We've been working so hard as a group and seeing that effort pay off today gives us a lot of confidence moving forward in MAC play."
The Ball State Cardinals delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance against Eastern Michigan today, starting with a clean sweep of the doubles point for an early 1-0 lead. On court three, Fontana and Sydney Hrehor made quick work of Lara Diaz Zayas and Regina Mendez with a 6-1 win. Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shahbaz soon followed, securing the doubles point from the top court with a decisive 6-2 victory.
The Cardinals maintained their momentum into singles play, sweeping the first sets on all six courts. Priyanka Rana quickly extended the lead to 2-0 with a straight-sets victory over Pehal Khardadkar at the No. 2 spot.
Gabriella Barrera kept the pressure on, securing her fourth consecutive win by defeating Matilde do Canto Parreira 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5. With Ball State up 3-0 and needing just one more point to clinch, Asia Fontana delivered, rolling past Lara Zayas Diaz in straight sets to seal the match for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will look to build on this momentum as they continue MAC play. Ball State remains home for their next matchup against Toledo on Friday, April 10, with match play scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
"It feels incredible to get this win for the team, especially in front of our home crowd," said Fontana. "I knew the match was close, so I just focused on staying aggressive and playing my game point by point. We've been working so hard as a group and seeing that effort pay off today gives us a lot of confidence moving forward in MAC play."
The Ball State Cardinals delivered a dominant wire-to-wire performance against Eastern Michigan today, starting with a clean sweep of the doubles point for an early 1-0 lead. On court three, Fontana and Sydney Hrehor made quick work of Lara Diaz Zayas and Regina Mendez with a 6-1 win. Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shahbaz soon followed, securing the doubles point from the top court with a decisive 6-2 victory.
The Cardinals maintained their momentum into singles play, sweeping the first sets on all six courts. Priyanka Rana quickly extended the lead to 2-0 with a straight-sets victory over Pehal Khardadkar at the No. 2 spot.
Gabriella Barrera kept the pressure on, securing her fourth consecutive win by defeating Matilde do Canto Parreira 6-0, 6-1 at No. 5. With Ball State up 3-0 and needing just one more point to clinch, Asia Fontana delivered, rolling past Lara Zayas Diaz in straight sets to seal the match for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals will look to build on this momentum as they continue MAC play. Ball State remains home for their next matchup against Toledo on Friday, April 10, with match play scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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