SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – The Spring Arbor University men's tennis team survived an intense, thrilling match with Goshen College 5-4 to earn its first win at the new Jones Tennis Complex on Tuesday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Spring Arbor 5, Goshen 4
LOCATION: Jones Tennis Complex
RECORDS: Spring Arbor 3-1 (3-1 CL), Goshen 4-5 (3-3 CL)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Cougars took all three doubles points in close matches, and needed every one as the Maple Leafs came storming back in singles. Nick Romano and Vincent McShane cruised to an 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles, but SAU battled to secure two more hard-fought wins at No. 2 and No. 3.
- Jacob Byrd and Jonah Engle pulled out an 8-6 win at No. 2 while Josh Scott and Alex Reinbold escaped with a narrow 9-8 win at No. 3.
- In singles competition, Goshen tied the score with three singles wins before Romano edged GC's Aritha Weerasinghe in three sets.
- The match came down to the final two spots, but Sam Head battled back from a 5-2 deficit in the third set, winning five straight games, to clinch the victory for the Cougars.
QUOTES FROM HEAD COACH TERRY DARLING
- "Great effort – swept the doubles and hung on for the win."
- "Exceptional effort by Nick and Sam to pull out their three-set singles wins."
UP NEXT
Spring Arbor visits Taylor University (2-4, 2-2 CL) on Thursday, Sept. 22 with first serve set for 4 p.m.
THE RESULTS
Singles
1. Nick Romano (SAU) def. Aritha Weerasinghe 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
2. Eric Zuercher (GC) def. Alex Reinbold (SAU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
3. Kartikeya Sharma (GC) def. Vincent McShane (SAU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Juan Miguel Ciudad (GC) def. Jonah Engle (SAU) 6-4, 6-1
5. Eric Cender (GC) def. Jacob Byrd (SAU) 5-7, 7-6
6. Sam Head (SAU) def. Evan Beck (GC) 6-7, 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
1. Romano / McShane (SAU) def. Zuercher / Sharma (GC) 8-3
2. Engle / Byrd (SAU) def. Weerasinghe / Luke Rush (GC) 8-6
3. Reinbold / Josh Scott (SAU) def. Ciudad / Cender (GC) 9-8
Men's Tennis Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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