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 3-3 (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 sets, 6-4, 6-4, giving Ball State its first point of the dual. Having dropped the first set at No. 5 singles, Portnoy earned his first singles victory of the season defeating Ball State's Sajin Smith on a double fault in the last game of the third set to give MSU a 3-1 cushion.  
 
Ball State made things interesting at No. 4 singles with Herran, who after dropping his opening set to Lair, fired off consecutive set victories to move the Cardinals to within one point of the Spartans. However, Baylis' third singles win of the season clinched the match for the Green and White when he dispatched Ball State's Kovacevic in straight sets, winning the second-set tiebreak, 7-0. 
 
The final point of the afternoon came down to the wire when Ball State's Webster defeated Pero in a match that went down to a third-set tiebreak. After dropping the first set, Pero won 6-0 in the second to push the match into a deciding frame. After forcing the set to a tiebreak on his service game, Pero eventually fell in the tiebreaker 7-2, finalizing a gritty 4-3 victory for the Spartans. 
 
Up next, the Spartans travel to Louisville, Ky. to take on the University of Louisville at Noon on Sunday, Feb. 12. 
 
Results
 
Singles 
 
1. Nathaniel Webster (BALLST) def. Anthony Pero (MSU) 6-4, 0-6, 7-6 (7-2) 
2. Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Vince Orlando (BALLST) 6-2, 6-4
3. Luke Baylis (MSU) def. Danilo Kovacevic (BALLST) 7-5, 7-6 (7-0)
4. Eli Herran (BALLST) def. Graydon Lair (MSU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 
5. Josh Portnoy (MSU) def. Sajin Smith (BALLST) 3-6, 6-0, 6-2
6. Jacks Lancaster (BALLST) def. Reed Crocker (MSU) 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 
 
Order of Finish: 2,6,5,4,3,1
 
Doubles 
 
1. Reed Crocker/Anthony Pero (MSU) def. Danilo Kovacevic/Parrish Simmons (BALLST) 6-2 
2. Graydon Lair/Luke Baylis (MSU) vs. Vince Orlando/Eli Herran (BALLST) 4-3, unfinished
3. Josh Portnoy/Max Sheldon (MSU) def. Nathaniel Webster/Jacks Lancaster (BALLST) 6-1 

Order of finish: Doubles 3,1