Box Score EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State men’s tennis picked up a 5-2 road win over Ball State on Saturday afternoon in Muncie, Indiana. The Spartans earned their first road win of the year with the victory and improve to an 8-3 overall record.
After finding themselves down 1-0 when Ball State won the doubles point, MSU battled back in singles action to earn the victory. The Green & White nearly swept singles play with wins on five of six courts.
The Cardinals quickly took a 1-0 lead with wins on two of the three doubles courts. Reed Crocker and Graydon Lair fell 6-2 at No. 2 to Thibault de Negri and Eli Herran. The No. 3 court saw a closer battle, with the duo of Anthony Pero and Luke Baylis falling by a 6-3 margin to Ball State’s Parrish Simmons and Vince Orlando.
The match sped up once things moved on to the singles courts. Four of the six courts battled to a third-set decision.
First off the court was freshman Max Sheldon with a win in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, over Nathaniel Webster at No. 4. Sheldon is tied with Luke Baylis for the most singles win of any Spartan so far this season, moving to 13-7 overall with the win. Shortly after, Jack Winkler was victorious at No. 1 when he defeated Ball State’s de Negri 6-4, 6-3.
Ball State tied things up again when Danilo Kovacevik defeated Graydon lair in a three-set battle at No. 2 singles. Down 6-7, Lair bounced back with a 6-4 victory in the second set but could not secure the win, as Kovacevik won 6-4 in the deciding set.
The Spartans won the final three straight matches on their way to the win. Josh Mukherjee won 2-6, 6-4, 7-5 at No. 6 singles, improving to 6-2 on the season in singles play. Nick Williams bounced back after a streak of losses to defeat Vince Orlando on court five, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6. Wrapping up the victory for MSU was Luke Baylis. After winning his first set 6-1 at No. 3 singles, he fought back from a 5-7 deficit in the second to win in his final set, 6-4.
Michigan State returns home for its next two matches in the form of a doubleheader with Marquette and Butler on Saturday, March 5. Competition begins inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center at 11 a.m.