Freshman Brittni Fausett and sophomore Sara McLaughlin each posted straight-set wins at the respective No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions, but the ninth-seeded Northern Illinois women's tennis team saw its season end in a 4-2 setback versus No. 8 Ball State in the first-round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament Thursday.
"I've got a lot of disappointed players right now, and rightfully so, because we really went out there and battled today," said NIU head coach Ryun Ferrell. "We started doubles play outdoors, before moving inside when the rain started. I thought we really grinded it out and played extremely tough, but we were put back on our heels after losing the doubles point.
"We really had an advantage through the middle of our singles lineup, and after Brooke (Forsberg) won the first set at No. 6, we were in a position to get the win. But Ball State continued to play tough, and we came up short. Brooke was in a tough position, having not played much singles at all this season. Kelly (Phillips) was sick today, and was barely able to go in doubles.
The Huskies' No. 2 doubles tandem of McLaughlin and junior Kathryn Friedlund easily defeated the Cardinals' Dena Boulieris and Paola Rodriguez 8-3, putting NIU in a position to capture the decisive doubles point. But Ball State recorded an 8-5 win at No. 1, and the Cardinals' No. 3 tandem of Lauren Pickrel and Sarah Hebble outlasted NIU's Stephanie Okuma and Kelly Phillips in extra frames, 9-7.
Ball State's Hayley Hall gave the Cardinals a 2-0 team lead after defeating Friedlund in straight-sets at the top singles position. But McLaughlin quickly closed the gap, cruising to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Boulieris at No. 4 singles. Martina Schnapp fell in a straight-set decision at No. 5 singles, as Ball State took a 3-1 lead in the tournament-formatted match.
At No. 3 singles, Fausett then finished off Ball State's Kylee Johnson in straight-sets (6-4, 6-3), pulling the Huskies back within one in the team score, 3-2. Senior Brooke Forsberg, playing just her fifth singles match of the season, captured the first set (6-4) at No. 6 singles, but then dropped the final two frames, sealing the Cardinals' fourth team point.
NIU's (7-13, 1-7 MAC) Emily Rogers was on her way to a straight-set win at No. 2, after defeating Georgina Thomson 7-5 in the first set, and holding a 4-3 lead in the second stanza, before the match was abandoned.
Northern Illinois is set to return all six of its regular singles starters next season, something that excites Ferrell heading into his fifth season at the helm.
"The future is bright for Huskie tennis," Ferrell said. "We've got nearly our entire team coming back, and I'm really excited about our incoming recruits, as well. Our record didn't end up being what we envisioned in league play, but we accomplished a lot, and we're ending our season with our heads held high."
