Ball Leads Hatters to Marathon Win

DeLAND—Graham Ball wouldn't be denied in his last home match. Even if it took almost four hours.

After missing an opportunity to win in the second set, Ball fought back and won his No. 2 singles match in three sets, leading Stetson to a 4-3 win over visiting USC Upstate in Atlantic Sun Conference play, Saturday at Mandy Stoll Tennis Center.

The win keeps Stetson (14-4 overall, 4-1 ASUN) in second place in the conference standings and sets up a showdown for the regular-season title when the Hatters visit undefeated North Florida next Saturday.

After winning the first set, 7-6, Ball served for the match up 5-3 in the second. But he couldn't put away Upstate's Lenhardt Haupt as Haupt rallied for a 7-5 win to force a third set. Ball battled and finally put away Haupt in the third, winning 6-4 to clinch the match for the Hatters. Ball was mobbed by his teammates when Haupt's second serve was wide.

"This match really reflects what I've learned here at Stetson fighting dedication for the team and playing for the team," Ball said. "It just was the perfect way to end the home season. I'm so proud of the team. It's been the honor of my lifetime to play for this program."

The Hatters started slow, dropping the doubles point as matches at No. 1 and 2 both went into tiebreakers.

Upstate took a 2-0 lead with a win at No. 6. Angus Bradshaw put Stetson on the board with a 6-4, 7-5 victory at No. 3, and Loic Blanco evened the match with a 6-3, 6-4 triumph at No. 1.

The Spartans won at No. 4 for a 3-2 lead, but Colin MacNamara used a pair of tiebreakers to win in straight sets at No. 5 to even up the match again, setting the stage for Ball and the Hatters.

"When its 3-3 on the scoreboard Graham is the guy I want on the court," Stetson head coach Christophe Noblet said. "He is going to give you a fight. He's smart and he's going to fight his heart out."

Stetson and UNF meet 2 p.m., Saturday, April 15 in Jacksonville in the Hatters' final regular season match.

--SU--

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Players Mentioned

Graham Ball: 6' 0"; Senior

Loic Blanco: 6' 3"; Junior

Angus Bradshaw: 6' 0"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball
: 6' 0"; Senior

Loic Blanco
: 6' 3"; Junior

Angus Bradshaw
: 6' 0"; Freshman

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Ball Leads Hatters to Marathon Win

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball

Loic Blanco

Angus Bradshaw

Players Mentioned

Graham Ball

Loic Blanco

Angus Bradshaw