Saturday, March 31, 2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Lipscomb men’s tennis team recorded its second Atlantic Sun Conference win on Saturday when they pulled out a 4-3 victory over USC Upstate at the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center.

"For a match to started at 2 p.m. and end just after 7:30 p.m. shows the amount of fight it took to get this win today,” head coach Andrew Harris said. “We spoke to the team about having a sense of desperation, and I am glad the guys exhibited that tonight. This was a tremendous win for the guys tonight, and we are looking forward to heading south to Jacksonville for the next conference match."

The Bison got off to a quick start with an early 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point 2-1.

Junior Tanner Brown and freshman Stuart Tierney pulled out a tie-breaker win over Tyler Grove and Jacob Darling, winning 9-8 (5) at No. 2.

At No. 3, sophomore David Salazar and junior Colby Shaw endured through another tie-breaker deciding match to record a win over Gonzalo Blanco and Yvon Haessig 9-8 (4).

The Bison’s only doubles loss came at No. 1, where junior Oliver Strecker and sophomore Miguel Cortez fell to Ramiro Blanco and Matthias Kidler 8-4.

The Bison entered singles action with a 1-0 lead, but went on to pick up three of the six matches at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5.

Salazar pulled out a three-setter at No. 2, beating Kidler 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, while Hernandez took down Blanco 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3.

At No. 5, Brown posted another three-set math, and secured the match for the Bison with his 6-7, 6-4, 7-5 win over Pierre Vernin.

Strecker fell at No. 1 to Blanco 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, while Shaw dropped a three-setter to Haessig at No. 4, losing 5-7, 6-1, 6-0.

At No. 6, Cortez was defeated by Grove 6-1, 6-0.

The win improves the Bison’s A-Sun record to 2-3. The men will return to action when they head to Murfreesboro to face Middle Tennessee on Wednesday. Match play will begin at 2 p.m.

Result:

Doubles:

1) Stecker/Cortez vs. R. Blanco/Kidler USC-Upstate: 8-4

2) Brown/Tierney vs. Grove/Darling LU Won 9-8 (5)

3) Salazar/Shaw vs. G. Blanco/Haessig LU Won 9-8 (4)

Singles:

1) Strecker vs. Blanco USC-Upstate Won- 6-4, 6-7 (7), 6-4

2) Salazar vs. Kidler -LU Won 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

3) Hernandez vs. Blanco-LU Won 6-4, 6-3

4) Colby Shaw vs. Haessig USC-Upstate Won 5-7, 6-1, 6-0

5) Tanner Brown vs. Vernin LU Won 6-7, 6-4, 7-5

6) Miguel Cortez vs. Grove USC Upstate Won 6-1, 6-0