Bulls Edge Ball State, 4-3, in Sunday Thriller

Sunday, March 26

Buffalo, NY

11:00am

University at Buffalo

Ball State

Photo by: Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com

Bulls Edge Ball State, 4-3, in Sunday Thriller

3/26/2023 2:54:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo men's tennis team battled from start to finish, defeating Ball State 4-3 in front of a raucous crowd at Miller Tennis Center on Sunday afternoon.

The Cardinals took the doubles point with wins at first and second doubles to start the match.

The Bulls continued to battle in singles action as four of six matches went three sets. Fifth year Simon Wibler gave the Bulls their first point of the match with a 6-2, 7-6 win at third singles and Daniils Snaiders earned a hard-fought tiebreak win in the first set and cruised in the second for a 7-6, 6-0 win at the sixth position to put UB up 2-1.

Junior Finn Macnamara turned in a gutsy performance at fifth singles winning 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 to give the Bulls a 3-1 lead. The Cardinals pulled within one with a win at fourth singles, but the junior Aleksandr Kalinin dominated his third set to clinch the match for UB with a 7-5, 5-7, 6-0 at first singles.

Sophomore Cheng Tang overcame a dropped first tiebreak set to force a decisive third set, but he ultimately came up just short in an 11-9 tiebreak, falling 6-7, 6-3, 6-7 at second singles in the final match of the day.

"Today was an epic college tennis match," said head coach Lee Nickell. "I am really pleased with our response after losing the doubles point and we did a good job of closing out our leads in singles. This is a step in the right direction, and we plan on maintaining our momentum into our match with Western."

The Bulls continue the homestand with a pair of matches at Miller Tennis Center next weekend beginning with a match on Friday, March 31 as they host Western Michigan at 10am.