VESTAL, N.Y. - Binghamton men's tennis (8-14, 0-7) split six singles matches with visiting Ball State (11-13, 2-5 MAC) but the Cardinals won the doubles point to edge the Bearcats 4-3 in the regular season finale Sunday afternoon at the Lane Tennis Center. Before the match, BU honored its four seniors: Valentin Bouchet, Ludovico Cestarollo, Josh Druger and Inigo Saez.

Ahead 1-0 after doubles, Ball State won three of the first four completed singles matches to clinch the win and with it, the No. 5 seed the upcoming MAC tournament. The Bearcats, who will carry the No. 6 seed in the postseason, received wins from sophomore Alejandro Pena and Bouchet to close out the match. Earlier, junior Kushaan Nath scored a resounding win at second singles. 

Cestarollo returned to the lineup after being sidelined with injury through much of the spring and despite not being at full strength, the team captain showed his grit and determination. 

"It's a disappointing result but I'm proud of the way we battled today," head coach Nick Ziuziula said. "Ludo was remarkable today. Chris Downey (Dir. of Sports Medicine) and Dr. Lissy did a great job getting him ready today and the fight he showed in the match was tremendous. It was also great to see Val and Alex pull through on their matches, even after the team score was decided - that shows the heart and resiliency that this group has. We're excited to go into the conference tournament with another chance to compete together."

Binghamton now heads to Kalamazoo, Mich. and will face No. 3 seed Northern Illinois in a Friday 10 a.m. quarterfinal, hosted by Western Michigan. 

Ball State 4, Binghamton 3
DOUBLES
1. M. Guzina/N. Gizina (BS) def. Nath/Lourenco (BU), 6-2
2. De Negri/Carney (BS) vs. Cestarollo/Pena (BU), DNF
3. Adams/Anderson (BS) def. Saez/Josh Druger (BU), 6-4

Order of Finish: 1,3

SINGLES
1. Marko Guzina (BS) def. Ludovico Cestarollo (BU), 4-6, 6-0, 6-3
2. Kushaan Nath (BU) def. Nemanja Guzina (BS), 6-2, 6-2
3. Thibault De Negri (BS) Tiago Lourenco (BU), 6-2, 7-6
4. Alejandro Pena (BU) def. Chris Adams (BS), 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-1)
5. Conner Anderson (BS) def. Inigo Saez (BU), 6-0, 6-1
6. Valentin Bouchet (BU) def. Tom Carney (BS), 6-0, 6-7, 6-2

Order of Finish: 5,2,3,1,6,4