EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State men’s tennis continued its impressive form at home with a hard-fought 4-3 victory over Ball State. The win pushes MSU to 3-0 (0-0 B1G), while Ball State moves to 2-2 (0-0 MAC).
“Ball State is a great team and if you give them a little bit of hope at the beginning of the doubles points, they’re going to run with it,” said head coach Harry Jadun. “In singles, I thought we competed hard. These guys know a lot of the players on the other team and they managed it well.”
The Spartans continued their dominance on the doubles court, quickly dispatching Ball State’s doubles pairs at the No. 3 and No. 1 positions. The sophomore tandem of Max Sheldon and Josh Portnoy picked up their first win as a doubles team, defeating Ball State’s Nathaniel Webster and Jacks Lancaster, 6-1.
At No. 1 doubles, the pairing of fifth-year senior Anthony Pero and junior Reed Crocker earned an impressive victory to remain undefeated this season, beating Danilo Kovacevic and Parrish Simmons, 6-2, clinching the doubles point for MSU. Graydon Lair and Luke Baylis were leading Ball State’s Vince Orlando and Eli Herran, 4-3, in a match that went unfinished.
The Spartans and the Cardinals came out swinging in singles play with both squads vying for crucial points left on the board. MSU earned a quick singles point as Sheldon defeated Ball State’s Orlando in straight sets to double the Spartan lead early. Orlando is the son of former Michigan State men’s tennis head coach Gene Orlando.
At No. 6 singles, Crocker took the first set against Lancaster, but eventually dropped the next two…
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